The recent workshop, part of the Co-creating Hope initiative, brought together community and patient representatives, health and social care staff involved in elderly services across the Western Trust, and representatives from various voluntary and community organisations. This event aimed to leverage the participants’ vital knowledge, experience, understanding, and connections to develop a comprehensive integrated strategy.

The workshop focused on the 10 key frailty principles identified as crucial for successful integrated health and social care systems. Participants had the opportunity to learn from the lived experiences of clinicians from the Jean Bishop Centre in Hull, renowned for transforming lives through collaborative efforts. The Hull model’s comprehensive approach includes geriatric assessments, palliative care, pharmacy deprescribing, loneliness clubs, chronic disease management, line dancing, rural physio clinics, and community engagement with schools and the fire service.

Throughout the day, attendees explored various aspects of the Hull experience and considered how these innovative methods could be adapted to meet the needs of the Omagh and Fermanagh communities. The workshop concluded with a collective commitment to developing a practical integrated approach, using insights from the Hull model as a blueprint for real system change in our region.