Community Connectors

Tender description

The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, hosted by Velindre NHS Trust are acting on behalf of Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board and Cardiff Local Authority who sought to establish a contract for the provision of Community Connectors. The South and East Cardiff Locality consists of 3 of the most deprived Primary Care Clusters in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan- Cardiff East ( 4 GP practices), Cardiff South East (8 GP practices) and City and South Cardiff Cluster (8 practices). The total population of the cluster is 162,300. The life expectation of people living in the southern arc of Cardiff is 11 years less than Clusters in North and West Cardiff. The population in this Locality is very culturally diverse, with a range of BAME communities and other hard to reach groups- including Travellers, the Homeless and Sex Workers. The Locality also provides for the needs of Asylum seekers who are accommodated in centralised areas around the centre of the city. In recognition of the complexity and variation in need amongst the populations, the 3 Primary Care clusters are looking to invest in and trial a new way of working in respect of coordinating support to those individuals who would benefit from social and wellbeing support as an alternative or in addition to health care provision. This contract is therefore seeking provision of a team of community connectors to work, at GP Practice level, within each of the 3 clusters and provide a mechanism for sign posting and directing identified patients (over the age of 18 years) to appropriate community support groups/networks and services specific to their social and wellbeing needs. It is envisaged that these staff will make themselves known and become embedded as a resource for all practices, through being visible within each practice on a regular basis. For further information please visit the e-tenderwales portal and itt_85699.