Health information can be a daunting minefield. A diagnosis of any kind can be difficult to comprehend. It is natural human instinct to want to know more. But where do you start? Who do you trust? How do you find support through others who may be experiencing the same?
As the community's largest social care provider, we know we can't do it all. As people live longer and with the overall squeeze on social care provision, demand on our services continues to increase.
As well as providing a range of services, we also recognise we have a role to play in informing and educating the community about health and social care issues. We can help the community through daunting minefields by providing access to people who may be able to provide them with the information and some answers.
This is why I am so delighted that with the support of physician Victor Hoffbrand, we have been able to attract the country's leading experts in their fields to share knowledge and information with the community. They include NHS directors and leaders in their field, from dementia to stroke, diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson's and eye conditions.
Professor Alistair Burns, the NHS England National Clinical Director for Dementia, spoke at the first of these six sessions last Thursday.
If we were to measure success based on attendance we could not ask for more; the room was packed full of people of all ages from across the community.
But the reality is we aren't looking to measure success. What we want to do is inform, educate and support the community through their own personal journeys.
If we could replicate these events across the country we would, but this simply isn't practical.
However, thanks to a partnership with the JC, we will be sharing a snapshot of their talks with readers through a series of Health Insight articles, the first of which is published here.
The next in our series of six events will be held on July 30. Professor Jonathan Valabhji, National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes, NHS England, will talk about the challenge of diabetes.
