St James Centre in Derby welcomes Dr Kathy McLean for tour

CARE workers and people with disabilities welcomed ICB Chair Dr Kathy McLean to the St James Centre in Derby where they support hundreds of adults and young people every year.

The Centre, on Malcolm Street, has 34 adults receiving day opportunities support five days a week, many of whom have been there since they were children.

The St James team also manage and deliver a wide range of innovative community projects and services such as Fun-abil8y, Moving Forward, Advice 4 All, a Family Hub and the Derby Neuro-Hub which are all ways of supporting disabled people at different levels including short breaks, days out, holiday camps activities and much more.

They also hire out their rooms and it is the community base for Derby College, to run English, Maths and computer courses. There is also have a community café where they often feed the local homeless people.

Dr McLean, Chair of Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, spoke with the centre’s managers and then toured the building meeting staff and residents.

Ellie Fletcher, operations manager, said: “This is home from home for our residents, and we just want to make it the best experience they can have. For them, stability is all about relationships and our staff work here 5 days a week and know them all really well. We’re such a tight-knit team we can all work with any of them at any time, it’s just a big family.

“It was lovely to welcome Dr McLean and describe the wide range of services we offer and the importance of the personal touch. We can give disabled and vulnerable people amazing opportunities when we get their care right. We also discussed some of the challenges with our sector including the instability of contracts, the lack of volunteering opportunities for people with disabilities and ensuring we make the most of our estate. We also know that for every one person we’re helping there are several more who can’t access what they need and we wish that was different.”

The charity is largely funded through Derby Council, the Lottery and donations and they have more than 50,000 visitors a year. It started 34 years ago when the building was established when the church, which now also homes a climbing centre, was decommissioned. The charity’s building is across the road.

Dr McLean said: “Caring for vulnerable people in society when they really need us is one of the most important jobs of the health and care service. The last thing people need when they are already struggling with a disabled child or adult is a complicated system making it even harder to get support.

“It was a really lovely visit, and there were so many smiles on the residents faces as they went about their daily life – a hive of activity, buzzing with energy.

“The NHS pound is constantly stretched but it’s important that as commissioners we keep an eye on the groups of vulnerable people we know need us the most and ensure the best decisions are made by us and our partners to support them however we can.”

Dr McLean is attending a series of visits to ensure community work is understood by the Integrated Care Board and factored into commissioning decision-making.