Connect South Ayrshire launches with their first community hub

The South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and Voluntary Action South Ayrshire (VASA) are delighted to announce the launch of Connect South Ayrshire. A new joint approach to providing communities of South Ayrshire with easier access to information, advice and support.

Connect South Ayrshire is made up of three elements; a public website, free phoneline and will open a series of community hubs across South Ayrshire. On 1^st November the Connect South Ayrshire programme was officially launched with the first community hub opening on the Sandgate in Ayr town centre. The accompanying website and phoneline were also launched on the same day. Connect will provide access to social opportunities along with advice and support on wellbeing.

Tim Eltringham, Director of Health and Care said, "Connect South Ayrshire was developed following extensive consultation across our communities with feedback requesting improved access to information and advice as a priority."

"Connect South Ayrshire provides us with an opportunity to deliver integrated statutory, healthcare and voluntary services, with a clear focus on providing accessible information, advice and support across all our communities."

All elements of the Connect model focus on prevention, promoting community engagement and wellbeing. The new Ayr hub will host a weekly programme of services working together onsite to provide integrated support in a range of ways. As well as services from HSCP and VASA the initial timetable includes organisations such as the Carers Gateway, Ayr Housing Aid Centre and Age Concern.

Marie Oliver, Voluntary Action South Ayrshire CEO added, "We are excited to launch and build on this new ambitious initiative as we put prevention at the heart of what we do. We will welcome feedback to continually improve our services and to shape the direction of work to the needs of each individual community."

"We want to ensure that anyone living in South Ayrshire can receive the right support at the right time in the right place."

Following this initial launch work will continue to build the resources available through Connect South Ayrshire. The teams will be linking with organisations across the area as well as national teams to build the best possible source of information. A dedicated team will be available to ensure the information provided is up to date and available.

To access Connect South Ayrshire you can:

• Visit our new website at: www.connectsouthayrshire.org
   
• Call us on: 0800 432 0510
   
• Or drop in to our new Ayr hub at: 53 Sandgate, Ayr town centre