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Published: October 7th 2015
Its crazy to think we are now mid way through the final week and as the group suspected the time seems to be flying by but as every day has been so diverse we are absorbing so much information I think by the end of this week we may be at full capacity but the knowledge we have gained throughout the programme is amazing.
As the responsible adult (there is a first time for everything) I was given the task of getting us to Lillhagsparken Sodra for our morning session and Robin had left me clear instructions on which bus to take and the correct stop to reach our venue - unfortunately I failed miserably and we ended up getting off a stop too early meaning we had a 10min walk to final meet Robin. I don't think that went down too well with the group as it certainly feels like October now and the beautiful conditions of the first week have been replaced with a typical UK climate, it was definitely fresh but least it will prepare us for our return home.
The building we were based in this morning was more like what we are used to
at home and could have easily been our Green Lane building as the external appearance was very similar.
This morning was focused on Equal Healthcare for the region and Malena Lau, Head of Unit, for the Knowledge Center for Equal Healthcare proceeded to explain to us the issues faced in the region. We had covered the more strategic aim with Robert Sinclair last week but Malena's objectives are more aimed at ensuring everyone in the community can access the Health Care system and that Vastra Gotaland appreciate the different needs from their inhabitants.
Malena explained that until a few years ago the main focus was on gender equality as other groups had not been considered when planning the delivery of health care - this of course has now changed and the stigma attached to identifying certain other affected groups is slowly being removed and more education is taking place to eliminate any preconceptions specialists in the health care profession may hold to help provide a more comprehensive and personalised care package.
As the region has a diverse population this has also developed to include and consider all backgrounds in society and life choices an individual can make.
There is now a stronger focus on communication between the health care service and their patients improving the interaction with the community and providing individual choice on the types of treatment depending on a persons preference and capabilities.
It was a very informative morning and Malena helped us to appreciate the real issues facing the region in providing a high standard of health care while also considering the individual needs of a multi cultural society.
As I have covered in previous entries there is an issue with homelessness in the city centre and you will unfortunately find people begging on most of the street corners so our afternoon session was of interest to the whole group as we have not met anyone yet who has given us further info on how the region is trying to deal with this.
One of the main groups trying to tackle this issue are called Project Crossroads who are independent from the authorities in the area and provide a City Missions Centre for European migrants and we were lucky enough to meet Claes Haglund the Project Manager for the organisation.
Claes informed us that Gothenburg has in recent years seen
an increase of EU migrants who are not able to establish themselves in the region and society in general provide an almost non existent support function which is where Project Crossroads try to help.
The task of Project Crossroads is to help the people that no one else sees and there is a large, but relatively invisible, group of EU citizens who come to Gothenburg. Claes explained its not the beggars we see on the streets but instead those individuals who come here in search of work, housing and providing for their families they have often left behind at home. They need to find a place where someone can provide information about their rights and obligations, this is where Project Crossroads provides such an essential support function.
Claes detailed how most often the visitors can come from all over Europe but mainly from southern and eastern Europe coming over to Gothenburg due to unemployment and poor conditions in their homeland. It is EU's freedom of movement that allows them to take the chance of a better life in the North.
The session was hard-hitting and one of those moments when you can really appreciate how fortunate you
are in the quality of life you have - as an example in one year the number of visitors in this region increased by approx 30% which illustrates the growing issues faced by people in other EU countries.
We asked why the city doesn't do more but were informed the municipality is hampered by regulations and laws, and can do nothing. This is one of the major unsolved problems with freedom of movement within the EU - people are free to move here in the EU but they have no established way of helping them find work and support from social security systems.
Some of the work they do is amazing including, amongst other things, providing a personal service on the applicant's native language assistance (4 of the staff can speak over 10 languages combined) , mediation of contact with public authorities and non profit organisations. Claus confirmed Crossroads is no overnight stay, but can provide some stability and options to those in need.
We were very grateful to Claus for his time and I know Paige and Jade were interested to find out more information as it is relevant to their roles in the Council so
Claus is planning to send further info through and is open to further communication with our employer in the future around this issue.
We all decided to walk back to gives us a little time to digest the info and had the opportunity to walk through a famous part of the City, Haga, which resembles the cobbled streets of York and has a variety of diverse and alternative shops.
I had heard about the giant plate sized cinnamon buns called Hagabullen in this area of the city and was astounded when confronted with these enormous beautiful looking creations - I hope the photo does them justice and somehow I managed to resist.
A thoroughly enjoyable if hard-hitting day that helped us piece together some of the more strategic information provided in the first week.
Right now no one is looking I am off back to the Haga district to have an Alan Partridge moment with those fantastic looking pastries, they do say its best to share but that's never been one of my strengths.
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Ray Brewis
non-member comment
Nearly there
I can't believe that its all nearly over and I'm going to miss reading these blogs every evening. I might ask Peter to keep them going with news from Durham! I hope that before you all leave you take a few moments to reflect on the things you have learned, the places you have been, but most importantly the people you have met. In your own words your hosts have been warm, informative and patient and i hope you take any opportunity left to let them know how grateful you are for their efforts. Also don't forget to enjoy your last few days.