Health and Social Care Navigators: Information, advice and advocacy

Norfolk has many advice and advocacy services that play a vital role in the provision of high quality care for people with long term conditions. The personalisation agenda has especially recognised the importance of these roles in supporting people to meet their health and social care needs in the way that is best for them.

To support the work of those that give information, advice, and advocacy this project has undertaken a training needs analysis of the sector in response to the personalisation agenda. The results of this analysis have identified areas of development which the project is now addressing:

• A series of ‘networking road shows’ have started to be run around the county. These will be facilitated events that encourage links and relationships to be formed across organisations and sectors. The road shows will also signpost other support services and development opportunities.
• We will also establish ‘Information, advice, and advocacy champions’ who will cascade learning, for example in advocacy and lone worker training to members of their organisations/locality, cultural awareness and handling difficult situations
• ‘The person first, the condition second: An introduction to personalisation’ will be further developed to include the voice of the third sector and 2000 copies have been distributed. Alongside this we have developed training and a workbook.

For more information about this project please contact: swiftprojects@norfolk.nhs.uk 

Additional Information

Sponsoring Organisations:

• NHS Norfolk
• NHS Great Yarmouth & Waveney
• Norfolk County Council

Timeframe:

• Commence date: June 2010
• End date: March 2011

Project Manager:

• Laura Jones

Contact: Steve Gledhill 01603 257282