Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Community Care Assynt (CCA) is a charity in North West Scotland that delivers services to support local residents overcome barriers they face due to age, health or disability issues. The organisation operates a range of services, including a local health and wellbeing hub, community lunches, dementia support, health and social care links, recreational activities, personal support and transport to help community members access other services. Its overarching aim is to promote community cohesion, social integration, healthy living and lifelong learning and reduce service users’ isolation and dependence on statutory services. When the centre is not in use by CCA it hosts other community activities.
Community steps in to save services
The Assynt Centre Action Group originally formed to lobby the municipality for improved services for older community members. As time went on, dwindling resources meant that, instead of improving, services would cease altogether unless someone came up with a solution. The group quickly put together a business plan to run services themselves through a new company, Community Cares Assynt CIC, and took over in September 2010.
A pro-active approach to aging
CCA aims to promote community cohesion, social integration, healthy living and lifelong learning and to reduce isolation and dependence on statutory services among older people within the community. Services include a health and wellbeing hub, community lunches, dementia support, health and social care links, recreational activities, personal support and transport to enable access to other services. When the centre is not in use by CCA it hosts other community activities.
Working together to respond to community need
CCA’s work has created opportunities for residents to live ‘locally longer’ by providing both care services and services that increase people’s capacity for independent living. There are also benefits specific to CCA’s community run status such as its ability to respond quickly and effectively to community need and an increase in local volunteering.
Growing confidence, growing services
CCA started small with a lunch club and drop in service. The community’s trust in the board enabled the recruitment of a great manager who pulled existing staff together with some new faces to create a strong team. Once the confidence and capacity of the board and the staff team grew, service provision began to increase as well.
Small investment leads to big savings
Lower overheads and the good will of the community mean that CCA can operate the Assynt Centre at a substantially lower cost than the municipality. The landlord now rents out the building for a nominal fee of £1 per year and community members have also pitched in, donating 5,611 volunteer hours to CCA between 2010 and 2015. Although the CCA is for the most part reliant on public funds, the savings associated with keeping people independent longer, along with the substantially lower cost of community operation, make it a smart investment for Government.
Key learnings for municipalities
The key lesson from this case for municipal governments is simple. Before making big changes to service provision, engage in a discussion with the community. By working together with the Assynt Centre Action Group, the municipality were able to find a way to keep the Assynt Centre open despite the financial challenges it faced.
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Page last updated September 2016.