Event brings holistic healthcare to community
UP TO 150 residents were offered a new way to access more joined-up, personalised healthcare at a healthcare trust's Community Appointment Day.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals hosted the event at Doncaster Dome which brought together NHS teams, council services and local community groups, and gave people the chance to get advice, support and health checks all in one place, on the same day.
Around 150 people attended the day which was built around a theme of 'what matters to you', helping clinicians understand people’s wider needs and offering support that fits their health, lifestyle and day-to-day life.
Patients attending the first event were invited from waiting lists for musculoskeletal conditions, such as back, knee and shoulder pain, and asked to complete a short questionnaire before arrival.
Throughout the day, patients arrived at set times and were guided through the event, starting with a one-to-one conversation with a clinician about what support would help them most. From there, they were directed to the right services, all under one roof.
Heather Jackson, head of therapies at DBTH, said: “Community Appointment Days allow us to step away from traditional clinic-based appointments and focus on what really matters to people.
“It’s a powerful example of how working in partnership can improve access, reduce delays, and give patients the confidence to better manage their own health.”
Zara Jones, acting chief executive at DBTH, said: “With initiatives like this, we can reduce health inequalities by making sure our most vulnerable patients get the support they need, so everyone has a fair chance to live a healthy life.”