The team behind a support service that helps vulnerable people in the Tendring district have scooped a national award.
The SHELLS (Shelter and Health Enlisting Local Support) SOS bus won the Health Equalities Award in the national finals of the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2022 on Tuesday 6 July.
The Health Equalities Award category recognises projects that are successfully reducing health inequalities and preventing ill health in the community.
This win follows its recent triumph in the regional heats and entry into the national competition, with more than 700 other hopeful entrants from across the country.
SHELLS is a partnership of organisations, including Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), who offer help to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, are street drinkers or drug users, or in need of guidance and signposting for issues including housing, domestic abuse, debt and mental health.
The SOS bus was piloted in Clacton at the end of 2020 and extended to Harwich. Experts on board the bus helped more than 650 people in its first year. The staff include Sue John, Debbie Chapman and Natalie Smith from our Health and Housing Team based in the North Essex Community Mental Health Teams.
Other organisations involved in delivering the service include Open Road, Community Voluntary Services Tendring, SUMMIT, Mid and North East Essex Mind, Phoenix Horizons, Anglia Care Trust, Tendring District Council and Harwich Community Services.
Chantal Williams, Project co-ordinator for Health Outreach and COVID Vaccination at EPUT, said: “I am really pleased that Open Road SOS Bus SHELLS project has been named as national winner in the Health Equalities for the NHS Parliamentary Awards.
“The team are fantastic, very supportive and they were very much able to advocate each clinic for us. Their presence was very noticeable and the support for our cohort was very much appreciated.
“EPUT’s Outreach team worked collaboratively alongside Open Road and their highly decorated vehicles to offer vaccination clinics at various locations. It made sense to work alongside each other because we offer services to the same cohort of individuals within society so we were able to ensure we approached the same remit of people who are often marginalised and seeking support without bias or judgement.”
George Davidson, service manager for the North Essex Community Mental Health Teams, said: “Thank you for all the hard work put in by the team working to ensure that the citizens of Clacton get access to the services they require in such a timely response.
“It encourages me that we are working genuinely as an alliance in a creative and innovative manner to bring positive change to the local community. Well done.”
The NHS Parliamentary Awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations working in the health and care sector. The SHELLS SOS bus was nominated by Giles Watling MP and was also named the regional winner in the Health Equalities Award category.
Giles Watling, MP for Clacton, said: “I am delighted that the SHELLS SOS bus won the regional Health Equalities award. They undertake really crucial work in supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society, and I think it’s fair to say they have saved many, many lives in the process.
“They are a leading example of this kind of service and they are helping to showcase the excellent and committed volunteers we have here in Tendring. Each and every person involved can be proud of their achievements, and this award helps ratify what we all know about their tenacity to help people.”