People from the east of the South Hams are being invited to help shape the future of neighbourhood health and care services by taking part in a series of community conversations at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust's Annual Members' Meeting and community health event.

The small-group discussions will take place at Paignton Library on Wednesday, September 30 and will bring together local people, patients, carers and community members to explore how health and care services can work better together and be delivered closer to people's homes.

The conversations form part of the Trust's commitment to helping people live well in their neighbourhoods through more joined-up, personalised care and support.

People with experience of using health and care services in the past three years, including patients, carers, family members, volunteers and residents are being encouraged to register their interest in one of six themed discussions:

12 noon: Children and young people with long-term health conditions

12 noon: Frailty and falls

1pm: Diabetes

1pm: Cardiovascular health

2pm: End of life care

2pm: Respiratory health

Each conversation will last around 45 to 60 minutes and people will be encouraged to share their experience of what is working well, what challenges people face and what support is needed to help people live healthier, more independent lives in their communities.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Chair Dr Martin Beaman said: “We are committed to helping people to access the care they need, closer to their home. Our neighbourhood conversations are a way to hear from people who have experience of receiving care to help us understand the barriers to accessing care and support, and what more can be done to provide joined-up care where people live.

“These are early listening conversations, not a consultation on a set of proposals or a fixed plan. We’ll be asking people to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences about what works already, what could be improved and what support people need to live well in their communities to help shape our future neighbourhood model. I would encourage people to sign up and to get involved in shaping the future of neighbourhood health and care services.”

Places must be booked in advance and are not available as drop-in sessions on the day. Each discussion group is intentionally small, with just eight places available, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute. Places will be allocated to achieve a broad range of experiences and perspectives across each group.

Anyone interested in taking part should email [email protected] by 5pm on Friday, September 18, stating which discussion group they would like to attend and providing a brief explanation of why the topic is important to them. Participants are also encouraged to outline any accessibility or support requirements and indicate if they are interested in attending more than one discussion, where timings allow.

The neighbourhood conversations are taking place as part of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s Annual Members’ Meeting, which brings together NHS and community services, offering people health advice and information. Visit https://tsdft.uk/amm for more details.