Adult Social Care & Wellbeing annual report 2023 to 2024

Councillor Tristram Burden, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, Public Health & Service Transformation 

This latest Adult Social Care & Wellbeing Report comes at a pivotal time for our council. The past year has seen the switch to a cabinet system, and the combining of a new directorate for Homes and Adult Social Care, bringing together housing and adult social care services. These changes will lead the way in delivering a city where everyone is supported to thrive and bring our ambition to work as One Council that much closer to a reality.

We welcome our new Corporate Director, Genette Laws, from Southwark Council, where Genette’s focus on delivering compassionate services and reducing health inequalities fits perfectly with Brighton & Hove’s values and missions. A huge thanks must go to our interim director, Steve Hook, for his leadership during this transition period. 

Our aim as a council is to ensure everyone has a good quality of life and to reduce inequalities in health outcomes for our residents. To achieve this, Adult Social Care staff work alongside Public Health colleagues and partners from the NHS and Community & Voluntary Sector, to support adults with care and support needs to be as safe and independent as possible. 

We couldn’t do this vital work without our partners in the NHS and Community & Voluntary Sector; from delivering community-based health interventions such as the Community Inequalities Health Partnership, to the Admissions Avoidance team at the Royal Sussex, and the groundbreaking multi-disciplinary teams in our Changing Futures programme. In partnership, our local authority has proven to be the vanguard for new approaches to delivering care, support and health interventions. Much of this work sets the foundation for future development. 

We see high rates of mental health challenges in our city, and next year will see a new, richer mix of commissioned services to help meet the escalating demand and develop the provider market. We’re also doing what counts in prevention, whether early intervention and support through school counselling, to enhanced provision from NHS partners; across the system we’re responding to ensure everyone in the city gets the help and support they need. 

None of this work would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our own staff and providers. In recognition of this work, we’ve enhanced our offer for social workers, and our new contract frameworks deliver a fairer deal for providers and their staff, whether it’s offering more support to becoming real living wage employers, or delivering excellence through the duration of contracts. 

We are committed to working with members of the public with lived and learned experience, to ensure that our services and policies are developed and shaped in collaboration with the people and communities that we serve.

This report provides a snapshot of progress during a pivotal transition for the city and our services. There’s much to celebrate and much to point the way towards future ways of working. 

Our primary responsibilities include:  

•  carrying out individual care needs assessments
• improving health, preventing ill health, reducing health inequalities and protecting the health of our residents
• providing information, advice and advocacy
• commissioning and providing services to promote independence and improve health and wellbeing
• producing the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and providing public health advice
• safeguarding adults at risk of abuse or neglect 

This report is designed around the themes which the people we support have told us matter to them. It highlights our key achievements during the period April 2023 to March 2024, and summarises some key plans for the future. We have included suggestions on what ‘you can’ do to help ensure you live as healthily and independently as possible.

Working together with key partners to provide a range of care and support to meet people’s needs. 

We have

Continued to provide flexible and person-centred support for people experiencing multiple disadvantage, through partnering with the Changing Futures Team. 

Secured a number of quality dementia nursing and residential beds available in the city by developing new contracts with new and existing suppliers. 

Improved contract monitoring and engagement with newly commissioned home care and extra care services, to enable continued focus on a person’s strengths, capabilities and available resources. 

Co-designed plans for a fully accessible Supported Living Service for those with physical disability or acquired brain injury, with input from people with lived experience. 

Increased supported living services and extended our community support offer for people with mental health needs. 

Continued funding for a Homeless Prevention Officer whose role is to support people being discharged from mental health hospital.

Extended funding for an accommodation service which supports people leaving mental health hospital.

Worked together with our partners to align our health and care data to better understand the needs of our local population. 

Improved services and support available in the city through our partnership with the Hangleton and Knoll Project - developing skills and confidence in local people to access support. 

88.6%

People satisfied with services (2023/24 user experience survey)

We will

Work with key partners to co-design and implement a new city-wide Integrated Community Team approach for people with Multiple Compound Needs. This is being informed by recommendations from an external evaluation. 

We will work with our NHS and Voluntary sector partners, and with local community through our established health forums, to develop joined-up community services tailored to support health and care needs in the city.

Implement three new neighbourhood mental health teams across the city - this will better integrate assessment, treatment and emotional wellbeing services delivered across primary care, secondary care, community care and the Voluntary sector. 

Secure more Dementia nursing and residential beds to meet increasing demand and to manage value for money. 

Work alongside housing colleagues to plan for the future demand of extra care housing, care and support needs of older people, while maintaining their independence in self -contained accommodation. 

Work with existing and new providers to increase the options for community support and Supported Living for people in the city.

Move forward with agreeing the delivery plan of our Transitions Strategy to ensure services are in place to support young people with additional needs as they prepare for adulthood, alongside their parents and carers. 

You can

Find out about planning for the cost of your care 

Find out more about the Sussex Integrated Care Strategy

Share your experiences to help us plan service improvements, email customerfeedback@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Find out more about the Mental Health and Housing Plan 

Find out how best to help people living rough on the street 

You can read more about how Changing Futures is achieving systems change 

Find out more about the Hangleton and Knoll Project

Find out more about the Brighton & Hove Learning Disability Strategy

Manage your own care, and have greater independence, choice and control over services you receive through Direct Payments.

Case study

Working with partners to reduce health inequalities 

The Hangleton and Knoll Project (HKP) is a resident led Community Development Charity working in the west of the city, where there are pockets of high deprivation and older people often live alone with high levels of health and social care need and without transport to services and facilities in the city centre.

HKP facilitates our west area Health Forum bringing together Adult Social Care and local GPs with Public Health and local people to work on shared solutions to local health problems.

The Health Forum recently led a ‘Being Well in the West’ event where Health Trainers, community groups and Adult Social Care colleagues along with Health providers supported people to access physio, blood pressure testing, stop smoking, alcohol advice, cancer screening and offered info on local activities. 

Providing advice and information to ensure people are aware of their options, so they can get the right help at the right time.

We have

Developed an online ‘Self-Service’ Adult Social Care Hub to make it easier for people to find information and advice about support options.

Reviewed and developed council web pages on Adult Social Care to improve customer experience and give key information at the earliest stage. 

Reviewed phonelines and pathways to help direct customers to the right service area at the first available opportunity. 

Continued to fund the Carers Hub, giving unpaid carers a single point of contact for information, advice and support.

Set up an Easy Read Hub on the council website to make information more easily accessible for people with Learning Difficulties. 

Added British Sign Language resources to our website to support those who have hearing loss to access information about our services. 

Supported 2,046 people to link in with services and activities via the Ageing Well service single point of contact.

Supported 4,231 people to access local Health and Wellbeing advice and services for stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake, losing weight or becoming more active through our Healthy Lifestyles Team. 

Supported people to connect with activities in their community by accessing Together Co Social Prescribing service. 

Invested in digital transformation, enabling a number of neurodivergent people to take part in a pilot scheme trialling the Brain in Hand app to improve their wellbeing and independence. 

We will

Improve how we offer information, advice and support to help people stay healthy and independent, and to access the care and support they need.

Continue to develop online information services while also exploring alternative options to best meet the changing needs of people in the city.

Continue to make our information more accessible for people with a learning disability, by developing the Easy Read Information & Advice offer via the Easy Read Information Hub.  Work with Housing colleagues to create accessible information for Housing options.  Be clear with people who contact us regarding what we can and cannot do for them, and advise them on where they might find the help they need, if we cannot provide it. 

68.8%

of people can easily find information and support (2023/24 user experience survey)

You can

Ask at your local library for help to access resources and the internet, plus information about local events.

Find out about your local library 

Get support to develop your basic digital skills, and find out where you can get online for free 

Go to www.carershub.co.uk  or call 01273 977000 (Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm) Get support to improve your health and wellbeing 

or call 01273 294589  

Get support to improve your health and wellbeing or call 01273 294589  

Get support and information to age well or call 0808 175 3234

Find out more about the Social Care services we provide 

Contact Access Point for the full range of care options available on 01273 295555 or email AccessPoint@brighton-hove.gov.uk 

Access Together Co Social Prescribing service or call 01273 775888 

View accessible information on the council website Easy Read Hub pages 

Case study

Celebrating and supporting Deaf culture 

We held a successful community event for Deaf Awareness Week along with our partners; NHS SUSSEX, Surdi, Sign Live, East Sussex Fire and the Rescue Service. 

A wide range of stalls offering guidance, information and advice were present - from RNID, our Healthy Lifestyles Team, the British Deaf Association, Disabled Staff Network at University Hospitals Sussex, and Sussex Police. NRS Healthcare provided information on their specialist equipment, technology and services to improve quality of life and independence. 

Over 70 people attended and enjoyed networking and sharing their views. Speakers gave talks on Deaf issues and shared ideas on how to improve life for those who have hearing loss. 

Case study

Improving access to information for residents 

We have worked with key partners to launch a new Easy Read Information Hub on our website, to ensure that Brighton & Hove residents with learning disabilities and their parents, carers and support staff can access key information about council services.

This includes resources such as: 

• health and care
• voting and elections
• housing and support
• travelling around the city 
• benefits and pensions
• jobs, education and training

Easy read is an accessible way of sharing information with people with learning disabilities. It uses easy words, short, jargon-free sentences, large text and pictures. 

In 2020, it was estimated that there were around 5,000 people in Brighton & Hove with a learning disability. This is predicted to rise to 6,400 by 2035. 

Helping people to be as healthy as possible and managing the impact of long-term health conditions.

We have

Supported more than 4,231 local people to improve their health and wellbeing through activities delivered by the Healthy Lifestyles Team.

Launched a specialist healthy weight programme for people with learning disabilities, delivered by Gloji Brighton & Hove.

Given smokers free four-week vape kits, behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy, to give smokers the best chance of quitting and staying quit for good. 

Increased access to community mental health support for adults with mental health and wellbeing needs through the UOK service, delivered by a network of local community and voluntary sector partners.

Worked with vaccination providers and commissioners by sharing community feedback and supporting services to offer vaccinations in more convenient locations. 

Created vaccination resources and materials for people with learning difficulties and people who have English as an additional language, so they can make an informed choice.

Enabled neighbourhoods to self-allocate small funding pots for grassroots projects, to improve the health and wellbeing of their local communities through the Healthy Neighbourhood Fund.

We have increased access to structured treatment for people experiencing harm from drug and alcohol use.

Worked with Sexual Health and Contraception Services to deliver Learning Disability Awareness training and improved the pathway for people with learning disabilities to access the service.

Supported over 2,770 adults experiencing harmful drug and alcohol use to access treatment. 

Continued to develop our whole city approach to healthy weight, with workshops and discussions to inform Brighton & Hove on becoming a city where a healthy choice is an easier choice. 

Introduced restrictions on the advertising of high fat, salt and sugar products on council advertising spaces including bus stops across the city. 

Increasing access to Learning Disability Annual Health Checks 

Annual health checks help to detect and manage health conditions early, review current treatments and medication and help to build continuity of care. Over the last five years we have been working hard to ensure more people have a Learning Disability Annual Health Check. 

% of people on the GP Learning Disability Register who had an Annual Health Check in:

2018 to 2019

34.1%

2023 to 2024

73.2%

Delivering health improvements for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

We work in partnership with ‘Friends, Families and Travellers’ who engage with traditionally-nomadic communities and deliver health improvements, helping over 1,300 families with issues ranging from homelessness to hate crime, accessing healthcare to registering for carer’s support, and much more. 

“I support people to engage in healthy activities, equip people with information they need to make healthy choices and work with people to overcome issues affecting their health and wellbeing.” Health Improvement Worker, Friends, Families and Travellers.

We will

Work alongside health organisations and local communities via the Healthy Lifestyles Team, to help people access local support to make lifestyle changes important to them.

Strengthen partnership working with local communities, primary care and secondary mental health services in the recommission of community mental health support service for adults.

Continue to deliver our Suicide Prevention Action Plan to reduce the risk of suicide in the city, and improve support for people affected by suicide and for people who self-harm.

Publish the Brighton & Hove Drug and Alcohol Strategy 2024-2030 ‘Reducing harms from drugs and alcohol.  

Support our cancer awareness and early diagnosis service to focus on our learning disabilities and LGBTQ+ communities, to ensure cancer health promotion materials are appropriate and accessible. 

Recruit more people to deliver stop smoking support, making sure everyone who wants to stop smoking can access free support quickly and easily, utilising the newly available government funding.

Work with d/Deaf communities to develop the way we share Health Protection information.

Continue the work of the Towards Zero HIV Taskforce to end new HIV infections in Brighton & Hove by 2030.

Publish a new Sexual Health strategy for Brighton & Hove in 2025.

You can

Get support to make changes to get active, eat better, stop smoking, reduce alcohol intake, get vaccinations, look after sexual health and improve your wellbeing or call 01273 294589 

Find out how to access cancer screening programmes 

See if you are eligible for a free NHS Health check (to spot the early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia) 

Find out about local mental health and wellbeing support available for adults or call 0808 196 1768 

Get same day or next day local support in a mental health crisis by calling 111 and selecting the mental health option, or texting the word SUSSEX to 85258

Get immediate support if your life or someone else’s life is in immediate danger by calling 999 or going to A&E

Recognise symptoms of flu and check if you are eligible for a free vaccine at NHS - Flu 

Find information about sexual health and sexual health services in the city.

Supporting people to access their communities, reduce social isolation and maintain an active life.

We have

Launched the Age and Dementia Friendly Business Recognition Scheme - a toolkit that supports organisations to take simple steps to become more inclusive and accessible.

Recruited a range of additional businesses to join the Age and Dementia Friendly Business Recognition Scheme, including Albion & Hove Football Club and Churchill Square shopping centre.

Created a new Active Ageing Alliance, bringing together organisations in the city to focus on supporting people to live well for longer, by moving more and staying active. 

Continued to fund the Ageing Well Service 50+. This offers information and advice, befriending, group and one-to-one activity, volunteering opportunities and health promotion - supporting 4,466 older people throughout the year.

Delivered the Ageing Well Festival with over 4,000 people attending 149 events at 58 venues across the city. 

Delivered the TAKEPART Festival, offering 4,000 people an opportunity to enjoy live performances from local dance groups, sport and exercise tasters, health and lifestyle checks and health walks.

Worked together with 24 community dance groups to create Dance Active, an event celebrating inclusive community dance opportunities in the city, involving 210 performers from ages 7 to 77. 

Contributed funding to the Grace Eyre Travel Buddies project supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people to travel safely and independently with confidence. 

Case study

Brighton & Hove is one of the most active cities in England, with the second highest levels of activity nationally.

“We’re proud to have such an active city, and events like TAKEPART support our commitment to ensuring that residents and visitors to the city, young and old, can try new things and explore what moving more means to them!”

Councillor Tristram Burden

Case study

Celebrating Ageing Well 

The annual Ageing Well Brighton & Hove festival provides opportunities for people aged 50 and over to explore new experiences and meet new people. The festival is a celebration of Brighton & Hove as a city in which to age well, and an opportunity to highlight the many activities that help reduce isolation and increase well-being in later life. You can watch highlights from last year’s festival here

Case study

Travel Buddies Scheme - supporting people to get out and about 

Grace Eyre’s Travel Buddy project supports people with a learning disability and autistic people to travel safely and independently with confidence. Travel Independence includes travelling on public transport but also walking, plays a significant role in our health and well-being, it opens doors and access to employment, education, services and opportunities in the community which helps to reduce loneliness and isolation and promote a healthier lifestyle. 

We will

Continue to deliver ‘Let’s Get Moving Brighton & Hove’ with the aim of making Brighton & Hove a city where everyone has the opportunity, the encouragement, and the environment to move more, live well and be healthy.

Support people to age well and make Brighton & Hove a dementia friendly city.

Introduce a whole city approach to Healthy Weight, and provide ‘Thrive Tribe / Gloji ‘ a new weight management service in the city, to support people to make healthier choices. 

Work with partners to offer more options for Day activities in Brighton & Hove, allowing people to gain greater independence and skills, and to get out and about in the city.

You can

Get in touch with the Ageing Well Service on 0808 175 3234 (freephone) or text 07770 061072 Monday -Friday, 9am-5pm, or you can email ageingwellbh@impact-initiatives.org.uk

Find details of weekly Healthwalks and other free community activities that can help you or your family to stay active or call 01273 294589 

If you receive benefits, you might be able to apply for a leisure card to get discounts at some local leisure centres

Receive support to make changes to get active, eat better, stop smoking, reduce alcohol intake and improve your wellbeing through our Healthy Lifestyles Team or call 01273 294589 

Find out more about the Age and Dementia Friendly Business Recognition scheme 

See if you are eligible for a free NHS Health check (to spot the early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia).

Working with providers to ensure local people receive good quality, safe services, and feel in control. 

We have

Prevented lengthy hospital stays by supporting people with complex needs through the work of the new Admission Preventions team, freeing up much needed A&E bed space in the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Delivered a ‘Stay Strong, Steady, and Independent’ campaign, working with over 20 partners, offering over 140 free activities across the city, delivering ‘Staying Active to Prevent Falls’ training and highlighting the role of strength and balance exercises in reducing the risk of falls.

Worked in partnership with Healthwatch to deliver the Homecare Checks service, regularly visiting and interviewing people in the city who receive homecare services, to ensure the quality of services are monitored and supporting people’s wellbeing. 

Enabled providers in the city to provide good quality and safe care, with support from our Quality Monitoring Team.

Improved the response times for people who need equipment delivered by Community Equipment Service to ensure safety and support wellbeing.  Helped vulnerable people to warm their homes and afford their energy bills through money and energy advice, fuel grants and home energy visits.  Supported 4,000 people to be independent and feel safe at home through our CareLink Plus telecare alarm service.  Led the development of a new multi-agency risk management framework, supported by the Safeguarding Adults Board. The new framework strengthens partnership working across the city to support people experiencing multiple disadvantage and risk of harm.   Introduced a new requirement in the care home contracts for care providers that requires them to sign up to the Skills for care LGBTQ+ Learning Framework. 

67.9%

of people say our services made them feel safe and secure (2023/24 user experience survey)

85% 

of people who use services felt in control of their daily life (2023/24 user experience survey)

“We want to ensure our care homes are inclusive spaces where our older LGBTQ+ community don’t feel they need to go back in the closet when receiving care. Our commitment will ensure a truly inclusive approach to care for all and allow us to fully consider the needs and preferences of all people using our care services.” 

Councillor Tristram Burden

We will

Continue to work with departments across the council and external partners in leading Adult Safeguarding arrangements which are overseen by the Safeguarding Board.

Continue to commission and progress Safeguarding Adult Reviews and focus on how we can effectively increase our engagement across local communities.  

Ensure good quality care is provided by all services, and action is taken when quality is not reaching acceptable standards through our Care Governance Framework.

Continue to monitor training to ensure staff are fully trained to provide safe and quality care in the role provided.

You can

Find further information about reducing your risk of a fall 

Get support to identify what equipment you need, and how and where to purchase it, via the Safe and Well service

Contact CareLink to find out what services and equipment you can access to call for help in an emergency. 

Get help and support if you or someone you know is at risk or experiencing abuse or neglect, or contact Access Point on 01273 295555. 

In an emergency, call 999 or the Typetalk Emergency Line on 18000 (for deaf or speech impaired people).

Report a crime (non-emergency) or call 101 or textphone on 18001 101. 

Report anti-social behaviour and hate crime or call 01273 292735 

Find out about quality of regulated service in the city, at Care Quality Commission 

Get energy advice and support with your fuel bills by visiting Energyworks or calling the service on 0333 090 9150

Learn more about the Skills for care LGBTQ+ Learning Framework.

Case study

Promoting independence and achieving better outcomes for patients

The new Admissions Prevention team is successfully preventing lengthy hospital stays, freeing up much-needed A&E bed space in the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH). 

The cutting-edge team comprises social care workers, community nurses and physiotherapists. The service is a partnership between Brighton & Hove City Council and the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. 

By ensuring early engagement with support providers, it aims to achieve better outcomes for patients, improve hospital flow, and promote independence while providing preventative care. And it’s working. 

Over the first year of operation, the team has supported more than 1,750 patients. 

Of those, more than 1,000 patients have been supported to leave hospital quickly and provided with the support they need to continue treatment in the comfort of their own home.

Supporting carers to maintain their caring role and to have a life outside of caring.

Carers have told us the things that are important to them:

• recognition
• carer awareness
• to feel valued and supported
• joined up services
• information and advice
• opportunities to take a break

We have

Continued to commission the Carers Hub in partnership with the NHS, which has a range of dedicated projects supporting carers, as well as providing information and advice. 

Responded to carers’ views and new rights on increasing support for hospital admission and discharge of cared for individuals at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. 

Engaged with carers through a number of different approaches, including surveys and face to face events like Carers Rights Day, to inform our plan to be a Carer friendly city and develop the new Carers Strategy. 

Taken learnings from the success of the Carers Hub and built on this model to increase carer awareness, including the promotion of a range of online carers awareness/carer champion training.

Continued to work with key services to create dedicated pathways for carers - an example of this is the Carers Hospital Link Workers, who provide support to carers and raise awareness of carers with the Royal Sussex County Hospital. 

In Brighton & Hove people provide unpaid care, with many providing over 50 hours per week.

1 in 12

people provide unpaid care, with many providing over 50 hours per week.

We will

Continue to engage with carers to help us develop our plans across Brighton & Hove City Council, and NHS Sussex, to ensure the voice of carers is heard and acted upon when developing services. 

Launch a new Carers Strategy in 2024/25, which will include encouraging services within Health, Social Care, Education and Employers to identify their commitment to carers. 

Ensure that the Carers Hub is central to reaching all carers, and has dedicated pathways with key service areas, from the BHCC Social Care Assessment Services, through to the development of Integrated Community Teams, to ensure as many carers as possible become ‘registered’ 

Review and develop the Carers Card to enable easier access and extend the offers available.

You can

Get advice and support for unpaid carers in Brighton & Hove at the Carer’s Hub or call 01273 977000.

Everyone should feel included and valued. We want to remove barriers that exclude people from services and prevent them from succeeding because of their identity, background or circumstances.

Our city consists of different populations living in a range of geographical communities. The most recent data from the census shows:

• A quarter of residents are from a Black or Minority Ethnic Group
• One in ten residents identify as Gay or Lesbian, Bisexual or other sexual orientation
• One in five residents are born outside the UK
• One in a hundred adult residents identify as Trans
• 19% of residents are disabled
• Over half of residents have no religion or belief

We regularly

Listen to the views of diverse communities through our membership of city-wide partnerships and engagement activities.

Improve our understanding of our communities, of their needs and assets, through our programme of Needs Assessments.

Utilise Equalities Impact Assessments to assess any planned changes to services and policies, to identify and avoid any negative impacts on people because of their identity.

Listen to people with lived experience and embed co-production in our service development and delivery.

Continually monitor our progress on specific actions from the Fair and Inclusive Action Plan. 

You can

Find out more about the council’s Fair & Inclusive Action Plan

See the council’s pledge to be an anti-racist council and the strategy and plans to become an anti-racist city 

View council plans to make the city an accessible place for everyone through the Accessible City Strategy 

See our vision for improving the health and wellbeing of local people and reducing health inequalities

Explore the current and future health, social care and wellbeing needs of the local population 

Take part in surveys, consultations, polls and votes to help create a better Brighton & Hove for all 

Working with diverse people with lived experience to ensure our services are shaped in collaboration with the communities that we serve.   

We work in partnership with a range of organisations in the city who advocate for lived experience voice. Throughout this report we have evidenced how co-production is central to the culture of how we work. Here are some more examples: 

Supporting people with learning disabilities to have a voice  

The Learning Disabilities Partnership Board focuses on improving accessibility and services for people with a Learning Disability. The group involves people with lived experience alongside partners from the third sector, health, care, housing and other city services.

Brighton & Hove Speak Out and The Link Group plan and chair the Partnership Board. The Link Group are people with learning disabilities who speak up about the things that matter to them. 

‘It’s important for us to express our opinions, as well as learning how things in the council and our community work.’ 

The Link group. 

Speak Out run advocacy events where councillors listen to feedback from people with learning disabilities about topics like housing, access to healthcare, transport, safe relationships and the cost-of-living crisis. 

Nothing about us, without us - Autism Partnership

The Autism Partnership Board monitor the delivery of the city’s Adult Autism Strategy. Members include autistic adults, unpaid carers, and representatives from statutory, community and voluntary organisations - who work together and plan how to improve the lives of autistic adults without a learning disability. 

“This emphasis on Autistic voice, on listening to autistic people and prioritising our views and expertise, offers true participation rather than tokenism and respects the rally call of the autistic and disability rights movements “Nothing about us, without us.” 

Alice Conroy, Autistic Co-Chair of Brighton & Hove Autism Partnership Board. 

Self-advocacy group Brighton & Hove Autistic Community, facilitated by Impact Initiatives, supports autistic adults to be actively involved in the work of the partnership board. 

You can

Find out more about the Brighton & Hove Learning Disability Strategy 

Learn more about the Link Group and Partnership Board

Find more information on the Self-Advocacy Group by emailing advocacy@impact-initiatives.org.uk

Find out more about the Brighton & Hove Adult Autism Strategy and Action Plan

Find out more about the work of Brighton & Hove Common Ambition Home

Understand more about the Changing Futures Programme

Find out more about Recovery Partners.

Common Ambition improving services 

We have worked with Brighton & Hove Common Ambition to facilitate the involvement of people with Multiple Compound Needs (MCN) in the evaluation of the Changing Futures Multi-Disciplinary team, who support people experiencing multiple disadvantage to receive flexible, trauma informed, person-centred support. 

Other collaborations with Brighton & Hove Common Ambition include a lived experience programme for the Combatting Drugs Partnership and a project focusing on homeless health care. 

Valuable perspectives shaping social work 

Recovery Partners co-ordinates a small network of people with current or recent social work involvement in their lives, linking social work teams with people who bring their lived experience into social work recruitment, training, practice and service development, for example, trauma training and moderating new qualified social worker portfolios. 

“I appreciate everyone, and all the efforts, collective ideas, knowledge and experience shared. It helps me feel valued, equal, heard and more understood.” 

Brighton Health & Care Partnership 

Brighton & Hove Health & Care Partnership is a partnership between the Local Authority, NHS Sussex and VCSE. The partnership is governed through the city’s Joint Health & Wellbeing Board, which oversees the development and delivery of the city’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy. It aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population and tackle health inequalities. The city’s Health and Wellbeing strategy is aligned with the Sussex Integrated Care strategy   

The Brighton Health & Care Partnership has identified five local health and care priorities which it is currently supporting; People with Multiple Compound Needs, focus on Children & Young People’s wellbeing, improving cancer services, targeting long-term conditions and improving people’s mental health.

Healthwatch Brighton & Hove 

This report describes several successes this year which are testimony to the hard-working teams responsible for designing and delivering front line services. The city’s new physical activity and sport strategy was an important publication. The council’s focus on improving Health and Adult Social Care outcomes is vital if we are to tackle local differences in life expectancy, population health inequalities, deprivation and higher levels of mental health issues and suicides.

Healthwatch continued to partner with the council this year to ensure that the patient voice was embedded in service design, delivery and improvement. We fed patients’ views into the Mental Health and Housing Plan and ongoing improvements to home care. We also continued to support the city’s Safeguarding Board and contributed to plans for Neighbourhood Mental Health teams, and more. Looking ahead, financial challenges will require difficult decisions to be made, making hearing – and acting on - the patient voice even more important.

Community Works 

Community Works values the strong partnerships within our city that work strategically and in service delivery towards positive health and social care outcomes. Our voluntary and community sector organisations (VCS) have collaborated with Adult Social Care and Health to reach and support communities through these challenging times, to prevent problems worsening and reduce inequalities. Examples of partnership working include Changing Futures, Ageing Well, the Autism Board Partnership, social prescribing, the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment programme, and a range of initiatives within neighbourhoods and with communities of identity. 

VCS organisations help to communicate information through community networks; to create safe and inclusive spaces where people feel listened to and less alone, and where they are supported to access resources and opportunities to help them become and/or stay well, build resilience, and live independently. 

We look forward to ongoing joint development and delivery to support local health and wellbeing while making best use of our local resources.