Bereavement Needs Assessment for Banbury Area. Cruse Oxfordshire has been award circa £3500 to establish whether or not there is a need to increase bereavement services in the Banbury area. See details below.
Why are you doing this now? In March 2013 the Cruse branch in the Banbury area closed, some volunteers withdrew and the service is now run through the office based in Oxford. There is an average waiting time of 42 days for people needing a service. Cruse Oxfordshire is enquiring about whether there is an unmet need in the Banbury area which is more extensive than that of the rest of Oxfordshire.
What population are we looking at? People, over 18 years old living in the Banbury area who have experienced the loss through death of someone who was emotionally very significant to them. The Banbury area is the population covered by North Oxfordshire Locality Group. This includes Chipping Norton.
What bereavement services is Cruse Oxfordshire currently aware of? We have been in contact with the lead for the Primary Care Bereavement Service, Age UK Oxfordshire, both of whom run services. We will be in contact with Katherine House, Lawrence Home Nursing Team and other services in the area to involve them in this work.
What will the needs assessment consist of? Three parts: Desk top information search: Establish what the expected level of need was from 2012/13 to 2014/15 and map current services in the Banbury area and if practical, establish the number of adults who have received bereavement services during the same period. Focus Groups: There will be three: *For bereaved people who have lost someone over 18: 21st April, 2- 4pm *For professionals: 20th and 27th April, 2-4pm Venue: Age UK Banbury Centre, 5 Lion Walk, Banbury OX16 5DU The purpose is to establish whether or not there are service gaps and/or overlaps and to seek recommendations on how best the needs of bereaved people could be met in the future, given the current financial climate.
*Personal stories: These will be gathered from people who have been bereaved, some of whom have had their needs met and some who have not
What will Cruse Oxfordshire do then? A report with recommendations will be submitted to Healthwatch Oxfordshire. Following consideration by their board, it will be posted on their website. Added to this, it will be circulated to stakeholders and commissioners. Should we find that there is a significant gap in services, it will be used to provide evidence to them on where resources should be invested.
How long will all this take? 1. 2. 3. 4.
The desk top information search will be completed by the end of March, 2016. The focus groups will be held in Banbury in mid-April The personal stories will be completed by May The Report will be finished by end of May, and submitted in mid-June.
What help do you want from the current services and people living in the Banbury area? Can you: ◊ Tell us about other services that provide bereavement support ◊ Come to one of the sessions above and share what you know about bereavement ◊ Invite others who are interested.
Please come to the focus groups or if you can’t, contact us and we get in touch with you. Added to this we will be approaching current services for information on the numbers of people they have seen and gathering other pertinent information that will be useful for the needs assessment. IF you are coming can you let us know? Please contact oxfordcruse@yahoo.co.uk or phone 01865 202242. We welcome your involvement. *your permission will be sought at the venue, for us to take photographs and audio record the sessions