Seagull Weekly Briefing 13/09

Good morning, and welcome to the Brighton Seagull's Weekly Briefing. Not sure what’s going on with the weather at the moment—yesterday was all over the place! The current cold snap doesn’t look like it’ll last; we’ll be back up into the 20s next week. Kind of sad—we’ve been enjoying wearing our coats. Oh well, it’ll be cold again soon enough.

Annual fundraiser campaign for homeless charities returns

Brighton YMCA has launched its 'Make Change Count 2024/25' fundraiser campaign, aiming to raise £20,000 to support local charities dedicated to preventing and addressing homelessness.

The campaign has run since 2016, and organisers say it is an alternative to giving money directly to rough sleepers: so 'their money can do more', to support eight charities in the city, and to give people 'the best chance to get off the streets and into safety'.

Homelessness is a growing issue in the city. More than 1,720 households are currently in temporary or emergency accommodation, and there is a lack of social housing available.

According to government figures, there was a 27% increase in the number of people reported to be sleeping rough, compared to a 17% increase across the south east.

There has been a 25% increase in the number of women who are sleeping on the streets, according to the annual single night snapshot from autumn last year.

The charities supported by the fundraiser are Antifreeze, BHT Sussex, Equinox, YMCA Brighton, Sussex Nightstop, The Clock Tower Sanctuary, YMCA Downslink Group, and Change Grow Live, with all money raised going directly to them.

These charities run day centres, provide accommodation and health services, offer support, provides emergency overnight stays for young people, work on preventing youth homelessness, and help homeless people to access services and reduce repeat homelessness.

Every donation goes directly to these charities, with no funds allocated for administrative costs. Contributions help provide essential services such as food, healthcare, and clothing, tailored to individual needs.

To support the campaign, visit the JustGiving page.

🖋 News in Brief 🖋

• Reports of a 'loud bang' at around 2:45am on Wednesday, near Easy Hours, and nobody seems to know why. Any idea why? Get in touch!
• Hamilton Lodge School and College for Deaf Children is closing in August next year due to declining pupil numbers.
• PARKING PERMIT UPDATE: A grace period of 21 days is now in place for all parking permit holders. This means you can display your parking permit for 21 days after the expiry date printed on it. As long as you've submitted your renewal application and you're parked according to the conditions of your current parking permit, you will not receive a fine.
• A very interesting story about King George IV's piano being played last night for the first time in 170 years.
• Police are appealing for witnesses after an attempted rape in the grounds of St Peter's Church on Saturday 7th September.
• Solidarity with GMB members at Asda, who held a protest outside the Brighton Centre on Monday during the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

What's happening? A five-year plan has been developed for adult mental health, learning disabilities, and autism inpatient services, by NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB).

What's the plan? The aim of it is to improve improve access to care close to home, particularly for people with dementia, by enhancing community support and reducing reliance on inpatient beds.

What does that look like? Recruiting more staff for community-based intensive support teams across Sussex, to provide short-term support during crises; improve care pathways and work with voluntary groups; converting Brunswick Ward, turning it from a ten-bed dementia ward to a fifteen-bed adult acute inpatient ward; adapting older adult inpatient wards to support dementia patients if needed, to offset reductions in dementia-specific bed capacity; and exploring reducing dementia bed capacity in 2026/27, leveraging enhanced community services and the benefits of the specialised dementia care centre in Worthing.

That's a lot of work! What is dementia care like currently? NHS Sussex ICB says there are gaps in crisis support, with some areas having fewer resources than others. Dementia services are provided in the community, inpatient, and in care homes, and services offered have been mostly the same for the last five years. There are currently 50 dementia beds across the county, with most of them in West Sussex.

What makes effective dementia care? The report says that dementia care is more effective in familiar environments: patients prefer to stay in their homes, and improved community care could reduce the need for hospital admissions.

How many people in Sussex have dementia? It is estimated by GP Quality Outcome Framework that 17,406 had dementia in 2022/23, and this figure is expected to rise to 41,000 by 2030. That's an increase from 0.95% to 2.39%, or an extra 4,295 people every year.

Can you break it down further? Around 2,949 people in Brighton & Hove had dementia in 2016, compared to 10,172 people in East Sussex and 16,650 in West Sussex.

How is it expected to increase? By 2030, 3,892 people in Brighton & Hove are expected to have dementia (around the population of Cuckfield). That figure rises to 15,900 people in East Sussex (just higher than the population of Uckfield), and 22,450 people in West Sussex (just lower than the population of Shoreham).

That's a 24% increase in Brighton & Hove, a 56% increase in East Sussex, and a 35% increase in West Sussex.

What is the demographic of Sussex? There are 292,000 people in Brighton & Hove, 559,000 in East Sussex and 868,000 in West Sussex. Sussex's population is generally aging: East and West Sussex have a higher proportion of people over the age of 65 (26.1% and 23.3% respectively) compared to the rest of the country (18.5%). More than half of the expected 5.4% population increase by 2032 is likely to be in the 65+ age range.

How is the demographic of Brighton & Hove different to the rest of Sussex? The city's population skews lower, with 13.5% of people aged 65+—yet it will also see the biggest population increase in this age group. However, Brighton & Hove has a younger demographic, with a higher concentration of working-age adults. The city also has higher levels of mental health conditions in working-age and young people, compared with East and West Sussex where these issues are affecting people more later in life.

What are the mental health needs in Sussex? Between April 2023 and July 2024, 3,100 referrals were made for adult mental health beds in Sussex. Brighton & Hove residents made up 22% of those requests, despite being 17% of the Sussex population, showing disproportionately high demand. This means longer wait times: an average of 9.7 days compared to 7 days in other parts of Sussex.

How often were patients accommodated in the city? Not very often: 30% of residents, with the remaining 70% sent to East or West Sussex. In contrast, 74% of residents in East and West Sussex needing inpatient care were admitted to a facility local to them.

What have other places done when faced with similar issues? NHS trusts in Essex, Hereford & Worcestershire, and Berkshire, have all made similar changes, and found no out-of-county placements, an increase in patients supported, and a reduced average length of stay.

What can I do if I want to support or oppose these changes? This report is going to the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Monday: you can find the contact details for people involved here.