Pupils and visitors to Sirona’s recent special event inviting feedback from the local community found themselves transported to the seaside.
A beach scene complete with picnic, hook-a-duck game, sea, sand, a pier and a donkey along with Fairground music greeted guests.
But this wasn’t the seaside it was a display of the not-for-profit social enterprise’s latest RemPods at Bath Racecourse.
RemPods are used by the service to encourage people to talk and express their feelings and while initially bought to support those with dementia, they have been used across several services.
As well as the RemPods, also on display was information on Sirona’s Healthy Lifestyle Service, Sirona’s Telecare service which provides hi-tech assistance in the home, the chance to have blood pressure taken, volunteering, Healthwatch and Sirona’s charity for 2014, Freewheelers.
Janet Rowse, chief executive, said: “Hearing directly from those who use our services and from our partners is key to Sirona’s success; it is only by listening to the experiences of others can we truly understand how to shape and develop our services to meet their needs.
“It is important that the Board and my Senior Leadership Team are visible to those we serve and hear first hand what they like about our services, what they don’t like and what they would like to see in the future.
“Doing so will help us understand what people want from us and enable us to work together to make things even better.
“We were delighted to have more than 100 people from across Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire come and talk to us in a very frank and open way.
“We are looking to hold smaller events in towns across the area we serve in the coming months to reach out to even more communities and individuals.
The attendance of Weston All Saints Primary School choir who sang at the event epitomised what Sirona is all about – working in and with communities across all ages to support each other and make a difference.
A formal annual meeting for Sirona was held at the end of the event where Janet Rowse, non-executive director Dusty Walker and finance director Richard Tarring summed up the key highlights of the year and presented the Quality and Financial Accounts.
