Check out our latest magazine... Read Online

Providing NHS Care At The Heart Of The Community

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) is the largest provider of NHS community services in Brighton and Hove, West Sussex and the High Weald, Lewes, and Havens area of East Sussex as Adele Trathan explains

Every day, SCFT staff touch the lives of more than 9,000 adults and children, providing medical, nursing, and therapeutic care in people’s own homes, community hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries, schools and other community venues.

The specialist teams include nurses, doctors, health visitors, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and healthcare assistants, who care for people from their earliest days until their final moments – from health visitors supporting new mums to specialist community teams offering end of life care and everything in between.

Teams help people, and their families, plan for and manage changes in their health, and support them to live well independently. Everything is underpinned by a vision to provide excellent care at the heart of the community.

You may not realise it, but you or someone you know has probably been supported by one of SCFT’s community services.

Did you know…

  • SCFT have set up and currently run five large-scale Covid-19 vaccination centres across Sussex, recruiting more than 1,200 staff and 1,000 volunteers, who have so far given more than 600,000 vaccinations.
  • Health visitors offer both antenatal and postnatal support to new mums, and during 2021 they visited more than 10,700 newborns and their families. Once the children start school, they’ll be supported by the Trust’s teams of school nurses.
  • SCFT runs 11 intermediate care units (ICUs), offering short-term in-patient rehabilitation to people who are not quite ready to go home from acute hospital, or who need some extra support but who are not ill enough to be admitted to an acute ward. In 2021 the ICUs cared for more than 4,600 people.
  • Four Minor Injuries Units (MIUs) and two Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) provide a useful alternative to visiting Accident & Emergency when you have an injury. Each year the MIUs and UTCs help nearly 110,000 people.
  • The Trust’s Living Well Programme is a free self-management course for people living with a long-term health condition such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, depression, back pain or chronic fatigue syndrome.
  • If you are experiencing issues with your mental health, you can ask for help from Time to Talk, a talking therapies service that can help with conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, panic attacks and phobias.
  • SCFT has an official charity – Sussex Community NHS charity – which raises funds to cover the costs of projects which go above and beyond what NHS core funding provides. Over the last year it’s provided more than £90,000 to fund improvements to staff and patient areas, a wellbeing bus and equine therapy sessions.

You can read about all of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust’s services, and how you can get support, at www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk 

And if you’re interested in a career that makes a real difference to the lives of people in your local community, you can view current job opportunities at www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us

More from Features

  • Take the Sussex Living reader survey for the chance to win a £100 M&S voucher!

    Complete our reader survey below for the chance to win a £100 M&S voucher!

  • Home Style: Time to Heal

    After losing her husband, Tracy Nors threw all her energies into renovating a period terrace in the pretty town of Rye

  • Be Well, Move Happy: Meditation and Movement

    Join Sara Whatley in stretching your mind and stretching your body as she looks at the practices of meditation, yoga and other similar movements

  • Experiential Travel: Take your trip to the next level

    Travel and holidays take many forms and this month Lisa de Silva investigates opportunities to take travel to another level for a full and authentic experience

  • Living the Dream with Eridge Green Kitchens

    A love of wood and making things has been prevalent in Rob Wheeler’s life since he was a boy, leading eventually to the creation of Eridge Green Kitchens. With business booming and a new showroom on the horizon we sent Robert Veitch to meet the man who is living his dream

  • Money Matters: Money on our Minds

    Adele Trathan explores the psychology of currency and understanding our relationship with money

  • Is it time for a Digital Detox?

    Do you feel your screen time across tablets, gadgets, televisions and more may be getting out of hand? Adele Trathan suggests we think about reducing them, in favour of putting greater prevalence on healthier pastimes

  • Apprenticeships 101

    If university is not for you, an apprenticeship might be just what you need to take the next steps in your education and career journey. Sara Whatley reports

  • British Science Week turns 30!

    Join the science celebrations from 8-17 March with British Science Week 2024. Sara Whatley finds out more

  • The Magic & The Power: A Celebration of International Women's Day

    As a celebration of International Women’s Day on 8th March and with the wise words from some of the inspirational women in her life, Sara Whatley tries to unpick female friendships and the power of the sisterhood

  • NEW COMPETITION: Win A £50 M&S Voucher

    It's fair to say everyone deserves a treat right now, so we've got a £50 M&S voucher for someone to enjoy - just give us a like or follow on our Facebook page...

  • Rushfields: Celebrating 40 Years

    As Rushfields Plant Centre in Poynings gears up to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, James Forryan talked to founders Colin and Kathryn Langridge about the keys to their longevity and what they’ve learned over their 40 years in business

  • Home Style: Farm Stay

    While living in a tiny cabin on the family farm, Freddie and Katie Pack saved up to build their dream house on a plot a few fields away

  • Gift Ideas for Mother's Day

    Mother's Day arrives a little earlier than usual this year on March 10, but don't worry if you're stuck for ideas - there are plenty of great places in Sussex to find the perfect gift for Mum. Take a look at our handy gift guide below!

  • What to Watch in March 2024

    From science-fiction epics to supernatural horrors and family adventures, here's our guide to the best new films and TV shows arriving in March...

  • Interview: Comedian Connor Burns brings his Vertigo tour to Sussex

    With his new touring show Vertigo about to arrive in Sussex, we talk to Scottish comedian Connor Burns

  • Be Well, Move Happy: Connections & Sports

    In the second month of this new health column, Sara Whatley looks at the health benefits of connecting with others and joining a sports club

  • Occupation: Weird and Wonderful

    Kevin Newman is a Sussex-born author, historian, tour guide and history teacher. He has written extensively about Sussex history and here, he shares with us an insight into how some local folk made their living in days gone by

  • Understanding Mental Health

    Mental health charity MIND’s ‘Time To Talk Day' on 1 February is all about opening up conversations around mental health. With this in mind, Adele Trathan explores understanding and recognising mental health issues and ways to access help

  • Money Matters: Food for Thought

    How does your household expenditure on groceries compare to the average UK household? Adele Trathan explores what we spend on food shopping and ways to help the weekly budgeting