Independence and Wellbeing for Guildford and Waverley residents

Independence and Wellbeing for Guildford and Waverley residents

This information has been compiled taking every care to ensure its accuracy. If you find that any of this information is incorrect or out of date, please contact the Guildford and Waverley Integrated Care Partnership, Independence and Prevention Team at Surrey Heartlands  (details below) or visit our get in touch page.

Tips to help you stay well

  1. Eat as healthy as possible. The Eatwell Guide, shows how much of what we eat overall, should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
  2. Stay hydrated. Drink at least six to eight cups of fluid a day.
  3. Stay active. There are various exercise classes available that you can follow on line to help you build and maintain strength and balance. Active Surrey have some very useful links on their website with various exercises that you can follow at home. Please visit www.activesurrey.com for more details.
  4. Maintain your health and wellbeing. Supported by the Health and Wellbeing Board, www.healthysurrey.org.uk provides self-care information, as well as signposting to local services available to you as a Surrey resident.

Guildford and Waverley Health and Wellbeing Pack

The Guildford and Waverley Health and Wellbeing Pack, provides lots of useful advice about health, wellbeing and falls prevention, along with information about local services available to support you and keep you living independently in the community.

A hard copy of the pack is available from the Independence and Prevention Team.

Download and print your copy below:

  1. Let's Get Steady
  2. Staying connected

First Steps wellbeing support for the residents of Guildford borough

First Steps to Support can help ease the pressure if:

  • life is getting tough
  • you are feeling stressed, worried or down
  • you have money worries
  • you are finding it hard to sleep
  • caring for others means you have no time for yourself
  • you are feeling irritable or agitated

For anyone looking to take the first steps to improve mental wellbeing for themselves, their friends or family member, First Steps could be the option for you.

The service offers a free phoneline, SMS and email service for anyone aged 18 year or above living in the borough of Guildford.

The friendly staff at First Steps to Support can:

  • understand what’s on your mind/what’s troubling you, and what you would like to be different
  • work with you to explore the best way of helping you
  • guide you to the right support to lighten the load, help you cope better and enjoy life

Contact the team via:

They are available on the following days

  • Monday 8am-3pm
  • Tuesday 9am-4pm
  • Wednesday 10am-5pm
  • Thursday 9am-7pm
  • Friday 10am-2pm

Find out more about the First Steps to Support phoneline

Community Falls Responder Service (non-injurious falls)

Guildford and Waverley Health and Care Alliance is working in partnership with Mole Valley Life to provide Guildford and Waverley residents with a non-injurious falls response service.

If you have a fall at home and you have no pain or injury, a qualified Community Falls Responder will attend within 45 minutes (60 minutes in rural areas), to help you up using specialist lifting equipment and make you safe and comfortable.

The Service is available 7 days a week 6am-9pm.

You can contact the service by calling 0300 369 0590.

The criteria for using this service are non-injurious falls for individuals who are able to weight bear.

You must be registered with one of the following GP practices to access the Community Falls Responder Service:

  • Grayshott Surgery
  • Haslemere Health Centre
  • Chiddingfold Surgery
  • Witley Surgery
  • The Guildford Rivers Practice
  • The Mill Medical Practice
  • Binscombe Medical Centre
  • Springfield Surgery
  • Wonersh Surgery
  • Cranleigh Medical Practice
  • Guildowns Group Practice
  • Dapdune House Surgery
  • Fairlands GP Practice
  • Austen Road Surgery
  • Woodbridge Hill Surgery
  • St Lukes Surgery
  • Merrow Park Surgery
  • Shere Surgery
  • The Villages Medical Practice
  • The Horsley Medical Practice

Handy Person Scheme

The Handy Person Scheme may be able to assist you with small works to your property such as installing key safes, half steps, external galvanised rails, bannister rails and grab rails. A free home safety check is also offered to identify any potential falls risks. Some of the smaller installations listed above are free and the team can support individuals to apply for disabled facility grants when more significant adaptations to their property are required.

Check out Guildford Borough Council's Handy Person Scheme video.

For more information, please contact:

Careline Community Alarm

A pendant alarm is ideal if you fall frequently or live on your own. It will prevent you from lying on the floor for long periods of time after a fall.

Careline is a 24 hour emergency call system, where you can simply press a button in an emergency and an alarm call will be sent to the alarm centre, which is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. An initial trail period is offered free of charge to Guildford residents.

Additional equipment is available such as smoke alarms, pill dispensers, bed sensors and falls detectors.

Safe and Well Home Visits

Free Safe and Well home visits are carried out by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. They combine home safety checks to help reduce the risk of a fire in your home, and where appropriate, you will also be offered information to help improve your wellbeing, enabling you to live safer and more independently. 

For more information:

Local voluntary car schemes

Good Neighbours schemes operate across Surrey taking people to and from hospital, GP and other health appointments. Some groups offer befriending, shopping, library book and prescription collections, or run lunch and social clubs. It is always worth asking if a Good Neighbours group can help you.

To find your nearest scheme:

Local borough council transport schemes

Guildford Community Transport provides a variety of services to residents such as dial a ride, door to store, social trips and transport to social centres for older people. For more information:

Hoppa Community Transport provides a number of door-to-door transport services within Cranleigh, Godalming and Haslemere and many surrounding villages. There are some scheduled bus stop routes, all of which are wheelchair accessible and available to residents of Waverley. All drivers are fully trained; DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked and paid employees of Hoppa.

To use the Hoppa service (with the exception of the scheduled services) you must first register as a member. Registering is free and can be done via:

Hospital Hoppa for Cranleigh

Hoppa is a registered charity and transport service in Waverley which can take residents to and from health facilities.

If you live in Cranleigh or a nearby village, Hospital Hoppa can take you to your medical appointment at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and other health facilities between Cranleigh and Guildford. If needed, the service can also take you home after your appointment. Hoppa can also be used to visit loved ones in hospital.

The fare is £7.50 each way and £2.50 each way for carers/companions.

Register for FREE to start using the service. Call 01428 681701 or visit www.hoppa.org.uk/register

Dementia support information

Connect to support:

Details about local support groups and voluntary organisations that support people with dementia and their carers and families are also available on the Connect to Support Surrey website.

Tapestry Club:

The Tapestry Club is a high-quality social club providing a welcome break for older people with dementia and respite for their carers. 

Action for Carers:

Action for Cares provides help to unpaid carers of all ages, right across Surrey, with information, support and advice.

Crossroads:

Crossroads Care Surrey is dedicated to providing information, advice and practical support to all unpaid carers, their families and the people for whom they care.

The Hunter Centre:

The Hunter Centre offers support to those who have had a diagnosis of dementia or are taking care of someone with the illness so that they can continue to live at home.