Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, visited Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) to meet with NHS services that help some of South Yorkshire’s most vulnerable people.
On Friday 9 February 2024, Amanda met with SHSC staff to visit services for homeless people in the city as well as the wider South Yorkshire team. Amanda leads the NHS’ national work to improve health and ensure high quality care for all. As such she was keen to hear about what we are doing here in Sheffield.
She visited our Homeless Assessment and Support Team (HAST) along with Professor Tim Kendall, national clinical lead for mental health and consultant at SHSC, and Helen Cowhig, clinical manager, and together they met service users where they volunteer at the Archer Project.
HAST is one of our teams which works with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities who experience discrimination and exclusion on a daily basis. The team's work supports people to access vital healthcare and support services including accommodation. HAST is a superb example of the positive impact SHSC has on the lives of people in Sheffield and how the NHS works in partnership with voluntary and community organisations to support the most vulnerable.
Amanda then met with SHSC’s chair, Sharon Mays, and colleagues from South Yorkshire NHS. They showcased the support on offer for survivors and families of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, and also the work young people have done on what it is like to navigate mental health services in South Yorkshire. This work has informed how children get mental health support from the NHS in the area.
Salli Midgley, director of nursing, professions and quality at SHSC, shared the work we are doing on delivering inclusive services alongside the Sheffield African Caribbean Mental Health Association (SACMHA) and Firvale Community Hub. David Busse from SACMHA and Gulnaz Hussain from Firvale Community Hub explained how they are working with the NHS to make sure that they meet the mental health, learning disability and autism needs of people in communities. Melissa Simmonds, race equity community leader, and Tallyn Gray, human rights officer, explained the work SHSC is doing to put service users’ human rights first and tackle racial inequalities when people are being supported on wards or in the community.
