A series of virtual What Matters Hubs for Teviot and Liddesdale residents will be available for 12 weeks from Thursday 22 April 2021.
The sessions are being provided as part of a trial being run by us and key partners from the Health and Social Care and Community Planning partnerships.
What Matters Hub drop-ins are currently unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic with advice on health and social care services being provided through multi-agency Community Assistance Hubs accessed through our 0300 100 1800 number.
The virtual What Matters Hubs will be a way of enabling people to have a more personal conversation through a video call similar to Skype or Facetime. They will be run using the ‘Near Me’ technology currently used by NHS and Health and Social Care staff.
They will also provide a much broader range of support than was previously available and will be supported by a number of services including:
- adult social work and occupational therapy
- welfare advice and benefits
- employability support
- local area coordination (mental health, learning disabilities and older adults)
- the wellbeing service
- Third Sector organisations such as the Red Cross and Volunteer Centre Borders
Sessions available every Thursday 10am-1pm
The online sessions will take place every Thursday between 10am and 1pm. There is no need to book an appointment as the Hubs will operate on a drop-in basis.
People will need access to a device such as a smartphone, laptop or iPad that has a webcam, speaker and microphone and an internet browser such as Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Microsoft Edge.
More information, including a video on how to use the Near Me technology and the link needed to access the online sessions each week, is available on our website.
Councillor Tom Weatherston, Executive Member for Adult Wellbeing
“The Community Assistance Hubs continue to provide an absolutely vital service for people needing support and anyone looking for advice shouldn’t hesitate to get in touch to see what is available.
“There is no doubt, however, that some people miss being able to have a face to face conversation and these virtual What Matters Hubs are an extremely effective way of doing just that. They can be done from the comfort of your own home and are an ideal way to talk to professionals in a relaxed, informal way if you are looking for guidance on a wide range of issues that are potentially affecting your health and wellbeing.
“I would encourage Teviot & Liddesdale residents to make full use of the virtual Hubs over the period of the trial. Not only will they benefit from the advice they receive, but their feedback will be important in assessing the best way to offer the service right across the Borders which we hope to be able to do soon after the initial pilot has concluded.”
More information
- Anyone looking for advice and support from other localities should contact Customer Advice and Support Services on 0300 100 1800 (option one). Teviot and Liddesdale residents can continue to phone this number if they prefer. Adult carers can also contact the Borders Carers Centre on 01896 752431
- Information is also available on the Community Assistance Hubs and COVID-19 pages of our website