People of Possability – Rosie

The backbone of Possability People is all the wonderful staff and volunteers who make the charity what it is. In this series, Kate Annetts chats to some of the people behind Possability People and finds out more about them and their role within the organisation.

Rosie Hall is the Hospital Discharge Support Manager. She has been part of the Hospital Discharge Team – formerly Linkback – for the past five years. She started out as a Community Link Worker but has been in her current role for two years.

“Before I worked for Possability People I was a scheme manager working for senior housing with the council,” says Rosie, “But I started doing this sort of work when I was 16 and worked in a nursing home and that was all hands-on care work.” While working, Rosie studied for a Preliminary Certificate in Social Care and became a Residential Social Worker when she was still under 21; “That was quite an achievement because at that point Wolverhampton, where I lived at the time, had this sort of unwritten policy that said I would have been too young. But somehow, I managed to get into this position and work with people with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.”

Eventually Rosie made the move down to Brighton and was pivotal in setting up the charity MindOut, part of the mental health charity Mind. “That’s something I’m really proud of. Mind had advertised for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender mental health advocacy worker so I trotted along and applied for it. I got it and I was the first dedicated LGBT worker in Brighton. This was in 1999 and it was a paid position for three days a week which grew; it became MindOut and I employed more people”.

“If someone isn’t able to go home because it is unsafe, cluttered or something like the boiler isn’t working then we step in and sort this for them. Sometimes we can step in and get them home within 24 hours.”

The Hospital Discharge Team is funded by the NHS and Brighton & Hove Council and consists of Rosie and four other staff members. Rosie absolutely loves her team and describes how she let them know this during what sounds like a rather raucous Christmas do! The team are well known and respected within the hospital because they work with staff there to free up essential bed space. “If someone isn’t able to go home because it is unsafe, cluttered or something like the boiler isn’t working then we step in and sort this for them. Sometimes we can step in and get them home within 24 hours.”

The team expanded in 2022 and now has a wellbeing side to it run by Ed Tucker and, along with 2 volunteers, they are able to call and follow-up with 100 people a month. “Our criteria is that patients must be over 55-years-old and live in Brighton and Hove. Our clients often don’t have packaged care like a social worker and are able to live independently but with some concerns, that’s who we help.”

“Making someone’s home safe and manageable that means they can get home; that feels great.”

“I get a big sense of satisfaction when I know I have helped someone or when I know my colleagues have achieved something,” says Rosie, “Making someone’s home safe and manageable that means they can get home; that feels great.”

Although Rosie does not consider herself to have a disability as such she has suffered with mental health issues, “I know what it’s like to not be able to leave the house, to be rigid with depression where you know you just can’t engage. It’s given me an insight into people who have also experienced it”. She continued to say, “you know, there’s no point telling someone to pull their socks up because that’s the last thing you want to hear if you’re low or anxious”.

“I know what it’s like to not be able to leave the house, to be rigid with depression where you know you just can’t engage. It’s given me an insight into people who have also experienced it”.

When Rosie isn’t working, she loves gardening and can’t wait for it to stop raining, get her wellies on and get in the garden. “I love drawing and painting,” she says, “Anything like that, and I’m passionate about music. I’d love to be able to play it. I play the guitar really badly, but I play sometimes just for the hell of it.” Rosie has a dog called James who takes up a lot of her time, “He’s a mixture of a Jack Russell and a corgi. He’s quite old now, he’s 18.”

Thank you, Rosie! More People of Possability People to follow.