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Local MP Learns About Community Health Services in East Surrey

Published on Monday 10 February 2020

On Friday 7 February First Community Health and Care welcomed Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate, to meet staff at its new office base at Redhill Aerodrome.

Mr Blunt held engaging discussions with clinical staff with a range of expertise including nursing and physiotherapy. They discussed supporting people on their discharge from services, treating people at home rather than admitting them to hospital, preventing falls and care of people who have suffered a stroke. Additionally they talked about the future direction of community health services in east Surrey as services are becoming more closely linked with GP surgeries to provide joined up care to meet people’s needs more quickly.

Describing the visit Mr Blunt said: “I was proud to visit First Community social enterprise today and meet Sarah Billiald, CEO, and staff to hear about all the wonderful work they are doing to serve the health care needs of residents in East Surrey”.

Sarah Billiald, Chief Executive Officer for First Community said: “It was great to discuss how the social enterprise approach to health at First Community has led to a highly engaged workforce and contributed to our CQC outstanding rating. In particular Mr Blunt was impressed by plans to boost the out of hospital model in east Surrey to allow more people to be supported in their own homes thus creating capacity in the local acute Trust for those who need it most".

Picture below with Crispin Blunt is (left to right) Sarah Connolly, registered nurse, and Venkatesh Govindan, physiotherapist, who work with the Intermediate Care Team providing short-term care and rehabilitation for patients in their own homes.

First Community relocated some of its community health based services to offices at Redhill Aerodrome in 2019 to bring all staff together in a single location to support integrated working across its community teams within modern and efficient facilities.