In partnership with Encompass, who offer support for homeless people in Sutton, we held a Winter Health and Wellbeing event for local residents living in temporary or emergency accommodation at Sutton Baptist Church in November.
As well as getting their Covid and flu vaccines, local residents were able to access a range of support and information – including health checks with a local GP, advice and support on housing and on the cost-of-living crisis from colleagues from the London Borough of Sutton. Colleagues from the Sutton Job Centre were on hand to provide advice on local employment opportunities and Community Works were there to talk to people about the services they offer – including the Sutton Food Bank.
We had a free to enter prize raffle – with lots of treats as prizes for adults and children. Goody bags were offered to residents full of personal hygiene products; there were warm clothes for people to help themselves to; vouchers for warm soup and takeaway cartons of vegetable biriani – all donated by local organisations and residents. Special thanks to Fillings of Sutton and Burke Kitchen for their support.
This event was one in a series of pop-up vaccination clinics for our underserved communities supported by the NHS South West London “roving” vaccination team in partnership with a number of local organisations, including Sutton Carers Centre, Sutton Housing Partnership, Hestia, Sutton Women’s Centre, Ambient, Sutton Homes of Care, Sutton Nightwatch and St Mungo’s as well as our colleagues at the London Borough of Sutton.
During the week, the team visited carers at the Sutton Carers Centre, older residents in sheltered accommodation, residents with learning disabilities, victims of domestic abuse, residents in emergency accommodation and homeless residents, and the Health and Wellbeing Event at Sutton Baptist Church was the highlight of the week. The team were able to deliver over 100 Covid vaccinations and over 80 flu jabs.
Nadine Wyatt, senior engagement lead at NHS Sutton said: “We were really pleased to have the opportunity to work with local partners to expand the services typically offered in our pop-up clinics. Raising awareness of the range of available services and making these services easily accessible to our residents is particularly crucial as we go into winter.
“It’s also great to see so many people getting their Covid and flu vaccinations to protect themselves. We are particularly pleased to have been able to give so many vaccines to local residents who might not have had them otherwise.
Nadine Wyatt
“We would also like to thank everyone locally who supported these events – and are very grateful to everyone who donated toiletries, warm clothes and warm food to help our less fortunate residents.”