Information about our Practice Champion volunteer group & community groups
Lifeboat Quay Friends – Practice Champions
From September 2021 onwards, members of the Practice Team have been part of the Dorset Collaborative Practice Leadership Programme, looking at a new approach to support our patients via “Practice Champions”. Practice Champions are volunteers who give their time alongside the Practice Team aiming to offer social support for patients through activities and building connections to local community groups, and finding new ways to improve the services that the Practice offers.
In May 2022, Lifeboat Quay Medical Centre established their Practice Champion group “Lifeboat Quay Friends” and decided on their first initiatives – drop-in coffee mornings and a buddy scheme.
The Practice would like to thank the Practice Champions who have offered their time and experience to help set up this group and for their on-going support.
If you would like to volunteer to become a Practice Champion and a member of LQ Friends we love to hear from you…
Lifeboat Quay Friends Events & activities
Coffee mornings will be held on the last Tuesday of each month 10:30am – 12:00 Please pop along and join us for coffee and a chat and an opportunity to connect with some local support groups
Forthcoming events/activities during the next few LQ Friends Coffee Mornings:
Next coffee morning catch-ups here at the surgery:
August no coffee morning
Tuesday 26th September 10:30 – 12:00pm
Collaborating with the Practice team, our LQ Friends are hosting these regular drop-in coffee mornings on the last Tuesday of every month. The coffee mornings offer our patients an opportunity to build connections to local community support groups/activities, meet other patients and enjoy some coffee and cake! Members of the Help & Care Social Prescribing Team also join us to provide additional support and information.
Please do pop along if you are free, and if you haven’t been able to join us in the capacity of a Practice Champion already, and would like a little further information on what this may entail, please come along and see Lorraine and Julie and we can chat through how you may like to offer your support/time as a patient volunteer.
Additionally, if you can’t make a Tuesday, we are looking for Patient Champion volunteers to offer a “Meet & Greet” service to our patients, e.g., helping patients with using the check-in screens, weight/height/BP machine. This could be on any day/time most convenient to you and would offer a great support to our busy Reception Team.
Many thanks for your on-going support.
Lorraine & Julie, LQMC Collaborative Practice Team
www.lifeboatquaymedicalcentre.nhs.uk/?s=social+prescribing
We are very proud of our staff members Julie, Ann & Steph who will be taking part in Run Bournemouth.
They will be running a half marathon to help raise funds for vital services provided to patients and their families at Forest Holme Hospice.
Each year, Forest Holme cares for over 1000 people across East Dorset and offers care and support to patients and their families in a variety of settings; in their own home, nursing homes, care homes, in the hospital or in Forest Holme itself, providing excellent palliative and end of life care to patients and their families. https://forestholmehospice.org.uk/
2023 Bournemouth Half Marathon – Sunday 8th Oct 2023 (runbournemouth.com)
We are very grateful to our Patient Champions for generously giving their time to support Lifeboat Quay Friends
Snap-shots from LQ Friends coffee mornings
On Thursday 15th December LQ Friends invited the Breathless Singers (a singing group for people with any lung conditions, asthma, COPD, long COVID etc) to sing some Christmas carols at the Surgery. Those patients with respiratory issues were invited to join us in the reception area to help get in the festive spirit!
During the LQ Friends November Coffee Morning we had fantastic support from the LQ Friends Volunteers and the Social Prescribing Team who were able to provide advice and information for Carers as well as connecting patients with the Social Prescribing Team for support and guidance regarding housing needs, Carer hours support packages. and tailored support for patients with Asperger’s syndrome.
At our August LQ Friends coffee morning catch up, LQ Friends were pleased to welcome Fran from CRISP (Carers Resource & Information Service Programme) to join us along with Holly & Zoe, members of the Help & Care Team, as regulars at the LQ Friends coffee morning sessions and are able to attend every month to provide specialist support to our patients.
We would also like to welcome Christine who has recently joined as a Patient Champion. Christine is a member of the Breathless Singers – a singing group for people with lung conditions, asthma, COPD, Long COVID and will be able to provide information and updates regarding how to join this singing group – no audition necessary!
As LQ Friends Patient Champions have agreed to meet on the last Tuesday of every month, 10:30-12:00 this has given us an opportunity to plan events and schedule different types of support for patients. For example, in September we will highlighting the local support available for those diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and are also planning focussed support for the October/November/December catch ups – details to be confirmed.
Many thanks, as always to our Patient Champions for generously giving their time to support LQ Friends.
Feedback from our first coffee morning!
Lifeboat Quay Friends hosted their first drop in coffee-morning at the Surgery in May 2022
Local Support Groups
Chat Cafe Local launched on 22.2.2022 in 27 friendly, safe, local cafes across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole. Chat Cafe Local is a community outreach programme tackling the loneliness epidemic in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.
If you think Chat Cafe Local is something you or someone you know may be interested in, visit their website for more information: www.chatcafelocal.com/
Get Help ….. Give Help
Cost of Living Community Support https://www.lifeboatquaymedicalcentre.nhs.uk/managing-your-health/general-health-information/health-support-in-your-area/cost-of-living-crisis-community-support/
