Spotlight: Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove

"As Head of Localities my job is to support service delivery and development, as well as developing partnerships. I love meeting new people and hearing about the fantastic work that people do across the city.

“My favourite part of the job is being creative in how we can problem solve as an organisation. This includes responding to research and conversations with the public to develop services that people in the city really want and need."

“People come to us with all kinds of concerns which can be big or small. Sometimes it’s looking for a reliable cleaner and other times it’s looking for information on dementia support. Common concerns include:

• IT and Tech Support (we have in-house volunteer digital champions available Monday-Friday to support with using smart phones, tablets and laptops)
• Housing
• Form filling
• Benefits
• Appointment help
• Small repairs
• Wills
• Care options.

“No matter what the question is – our hub is open Monday to Friday between 9:30am and 4pm. We always have a friendly face available to help you find an answer!

“We’re also working on holding some events and workshops in the hub so do keep an eye out for upcoming dates. On the 29th of January, we have free hearing tests on offer in the hub, thanks to RNID, and a slipper swap courtesy of Brighton & Hove County Council.”

“The idea for The Dementia Clinic came from both national and local needs. Nationally, over a third of people living with dementia in the UK remain undiagnosed.

“Locally, across Sussex, waiting times for statutory assessment services have continued to grow. Before COVID-19, the average NHS wait time for a memory or dementia assessment was 3 to 4 months. Now, it can take anywhere from 8 to 12 months from referral to diagnosis.

“We believe no one should have to wait that long for such a vital assessment or pay the extremely high fees charged by many private providers. To explore how we could help, we carried out market research and surveys, reviewing private providers both locally and nationally. Most providers focused on assessment and diagnosis but lacked ongoing support for people. Many also had complex and unclear charging policies.

“We also spoke to members of the public, including those using Age UK WSBH services, and gathered input from our internal teams. The feedback was clear that people would consider paying for an assessment if it meant shorter waiting times. They also emphasised the importance of navigation and post-diagnostic support.

“This feedback has shaped the development of The Dementia Clinic and will continue to guide us as we focus on delivering what matters most to the people we serve.”

“Before we opened our hub, it was really important for us to understand what people in the city really needed from us.

“The research helped us to understand that a key concern for people, as they got older, was planning for the future in terms of practical advice that supported their finances and health. It was also important to people that help was easily accessible to them. This is why we were so desperate to open this face-to-face hub where people can come to get information and advice when they need it. We also learnt lots of interesting issues relating to housing and transport.

“This research has helped us to understand how to shape our services over the next few years. We hope that by sharing the research, it will promote awareness around ageing in the city too.”

"I’m actually off on maternity leave in a few weeks time, but I am excited to be working with Small Performance Adventures who are working on a creative response to the research we just released about ageing in Brighton & Hove. Keep your eyes peeled for more of their work later this year!”