Area to benefit from four new Health and Wellbeing centres

Cllr Kim Forward, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council and lead member for regeneration and culture, said: “We are very pleased to support this scheme, which will benefit the most vulnerable and invest in the sustainability of our voluntary and community sector.

“This scheme will invest in the infrastructure and capacity of existing community organisations to deliver health and wellbeing services within the most deprived wards of Hastings and Bexhill.”

The development of the hubs is part of Healthy Hastings and Rother, a scheme that was set up to tackle health inequalities in the area. This is part of the wider East Sussex Better Together (ESBT) programme, which is transforming and integrating health and care to achieve the best possible services for local people.

Steve Manwaring, director of Hastings Voluntary Action (HVA), said: “The hubs will help local people and communities to improve and manage their health and wellbeing by giving them access to information, sign-posting and support in one convenient place.

“They are the result of extensive partnership work between the CCG’s Healthy Hastings and Rother team, the local voluntary and community sector, Hastings Borough Council, Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council.”

Awards have now been made to local voluntary and community sector organisations to establish hubs in:

• North East Hastings (Educations Futures Trust led)

• North West Hastings (Fellowship of St Nicholas led)

• Central St Leonards (Fellowship of St Nicholas led)

• Central Bexhill and Sidley (Sussex Community Development Association led)

Work on these individual projects began in late autumn 2017.

Dr. Susan Rae, GP at Silver Springs Surgery, St Leonards, and Hastings and Rother CCG’s clinical lead for health inequalities, said: “Bringing health and wellbeing help directly into communities – providing care and support closer to home – is going to be extremely positive for local people.

“I have no doubt that these hubs will play an invaluable role in reducing health inequalities in some of our most deprived areas and I am grateful to all the partners, both in the community and our local councils, that worked so hard to make this happen.”

During its three-year implementation period 2017/18 to 2019/20 the Health and Wellbeing Community Hubs Grants Fund will establish health and wellbeing community hubs in the four communities of North East Hastings, North West Hastings, Central St Leonards, and Central Bexhill and Sidley, secure and sustain the capacity and capabilities of existing community hubs and organisations to deliver health and wellbeing services; and enable individuals and communities to gain more control over their health and wellbeing.