Parson Cross: older people's access to health and care

Parson Cross Community Development Forum is based in St Thomas More Community Centre in the heart of Parson Cross. They currently run 22 daytime activities to meet the needs of their community and are often central to people's social activities and support networks.

They wanted to understand more about the state of support in Parson Cross - what else were their clients, especially their older clients, able to access? They used a #SpeakUp small grant to help them find out.

It's difficult to get a GP appointment

In our mapping exercise, we saw that there's a good variety of primary care services in and around Parson Cross. People were registered at several different GP practices, and used pharmacies, opticians, and dentists in their neighbourhood.

However, most people struggled to get an appointment with their doctor when they felt they needed one. They described long waits on the phone, no appointments being available, and other systems that didn't work for them, like having to wait outside in the early morning to be seen.

Travel around Parson Cross can be hard

Another major barrier was travel. People who said they could access all the support services they need tended to have their own cars. Many older people do not drive, so rely on lifts from family, public transport, or taxis. Limited flexibility for appointments, lack of suitable bus routes, and low incomes can make all of these challenging.

When people need to travel outside of Parson Cross - for a hospital appointment or blood test, for instance - this is even more difficult.

People need support to access social care

People told us what it was like trying to get social care in place for themselves or a family member. Many said it felt like they needed to "fight" to get support - and would like more information about these often complex processes. They'd also like a more local presence for this kind of support - someone they could ask for advice and who could help them apply for the things they needed.

Carers aren't accessing formal support

There were quite a few people who said they were carers at the sessions - meaning they provide unpaid support for family members or friends. However, not many of them accessed any kind of formal support to recognise and help them in this role. Only 6 said their GP was aware of their caring responsibilities, and only 1 had had a carer's assessment. Many people were potentially missing out on extra help - whether this was to do with their own health, finances, or social and peer support.