Nicky Watson

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS FT

We provide a wide range of specialist health and social care services. Our vision is to improve the mental, physical and social wellbeing of the people in our communities. We want people to live fulfilled lives and aim to help them achieve this by providing services which work closely alongside primary care (eg GPs) to meet people's health and social care needs, support their recovery and improve their health and wellbeing. Our community-based services aim to provide care and treatment to individuals and their families close to their homes and help them to maintain their independence and continue with their day-to-day lives as much as possible. We also provide a range of in-patient (for people who need to stay in hospital at least one night) and residential services for individuals who cannot be appropriately helped within their community. Through our learning disability services, we provide supported living to the people who use our services and we work closely with residential care homes and supported living facilities in partnership with housing associations. Many of the people we help are visited in their own homes by our staff. Others attend our clinics to see nurses, social workers, therapists or doctors. We give treatment, care and help to the people who use our services on an individual or group basis. We also work alongside GPs and other staff in local health centres, or with staff from other organisations, often in the voluntary sector. We often see individuals for short periods of time, providing advice and treatment which helps resolve the person's problems. For those with more serious, longer-term difficulties, we will support and work with them for a number of years.