Dartmouth Caring
How a Small Charity Can Make a Big Difference
Dartmouth Caring has recently produced a report that illustrates the financial value of the charity and its achievements. The work of Dartmouth Caring has been studied in depth and the report was compiled using facts and figures in conjunction with the charity’s data and an independent overview. The report shows how the charity ultimately saves costs for the NHS and the Public Health, at the full value this could be an incredible cost saving of over £5,000,000.
‘With the ever changing constraints on the NHS and the Statutory Services, the Voluntary Sector is being replied on to become more involved in helping the communities they serve,’ said Dee Nutt, Chairman of Dartmouth Caring. ‘We are a small local charity that aims to support our clients as positively as possible. The demands on the charity increase every year and the work we are carrying out is becoming more complex so the Trustees of Dartmouth Caring thought that we should try and cost this work. The Voluntary Sector is happy to help but in this ever changing world it can no longer do this without some basic core funding as a contribution to the wider in-depth support many organisations are providing.’
Dartmouth Caring focuses on prevention, early intervention and the enablement for people to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible. The charity delivers a wide range of vital services to the local community and acts as a one-stop shop for clients. They provide health, social care, advice, financial and emotional support all helped by its strong connections with the community and the health and social care professionals. Dartmouth is a wonderful holiday destination and is known countrywide for its pretty views but it is in fact above the average as an area of deprivation with low incomes, low employment, high rural poverty, isolation and an increasing older population.
Dartmouth Caring has grown and developed in response to the needs of its community. In 2013-14 the charity provided over 700 home visits and over 700 follow on contacts by trained staff plus 1800 home visits and 600 follow on contacts by its Bridge Worker role. There were also over 2,650 affordable lunches for elderly clients and over 2,647 cases of support, advice and general assistance provided to those in need. They provide 4 monthly groups and Carer’s Health and Wellbeing Checks and Carer’s Support to over 100 people as well as much more. The report goes on to show that if Dartmouth Caring were not providing these services large costs would be incurred elsewhere. The home visits and follow on contacts alone would cost over £99,200, the lunches that the charity provides would cost £63,000 if provided by an agency carer or daycare center. The total potential cost to cover just the work of the charity’s staff and volunteers would be over £300,000.
‘I think it is impossible to over-estimate the contribution Dartmouth Caring makes to the health service and our community,’ said Dr. Uhr Delia, GP at Dartmouth Medical Practice. ‘It is not only the traditional volunteer services such as the transport service, shopping and befriending which it manages but there is also its innovative role in establishing local support services in terms of dementia support, memory drops in and its Bridge Worker service. Likewise the charity’s Citizen’s advice service and the help with benefits claims and counselling services are crucial to our community.’
The demands on the charity continue to rise, in 2013-2014 there were 13,491 occurrences of support compared to 4,942 in 2008-2009. Staff have also found that with the impacts of benefits changes, reductions in funding to local government, constraints on the NHS and an aging population those requesting support have increasingly complex needs and therefore each case takes more time and needs more skilled support. Dartmouth Caring replies on funding and grants obtained year by year through funding bids. There are no core contributions or predictable funding provided by the NHS, County Council or other public body which makes it difficult to plan ahead with any certainty. This is why the support and any donations from the local community mean so much to them.
Dartmouth Caring help to reduce time needed with medical professionals, any problems or issues are spotted quickly and can be resolved without any visits to the GP. The charity also helps reduce hospital costs by ensuring vulnerable patients attend appointments, the prevention of one home visit a week would be a cost saving of £10,400 a year!
The charity’s staff and its Bridge Worker role also play an important role in reducing unplanned admissions to hospital by providing clients the support they need to get back on track. The home visit support service provided by staff and Bridge Workers offer support to patients on discharge which helps to reduce readmissions.
‘Dartmouth Caring has become integral to health and care provision in Dartmouth and the surrounding villages,’ said Dr. Eynon-Lewis, GP at Dartmouth Medical Practice. ‘The charity has secure relevant links in the community, they are a dynamic organization which refuses to stand still and be ineffective. Dartmouth Caring is excellently led, with outstanding team support; it is difficult to imagine Dartmouth without them.’
Everything outlined in the report highlights the huge potential costs and savings that the charity’s work provides to the public sector. Dartmouth Caring manage to provide all of this on a small budget relying on whatever funding and grants it can obtain each year. Support from the local community is crucial for the charity’s future, allowing them to continue to grow and provide essential services to Dartmouth residents.
September 2014
