Connecting communities in the rural Highlands with essential transport links

"Everybody needs transport and there can be many barriers to achieving that, so we often fill that gap."

To achieve successful integration within health and social care, it is crucial to work in partnership with each other, forge authentic relationships, and empower our communities. In line with this, third sector organisation Badenoch and Strathspey Community ConneXions (BSCX) champion integrated ways of working by offering essential transport links across the region.

Operating across Badenoch and Strathspey – one of Scotland’s most rural areas – the charity has been providing a community transportation service for the last twenty-five years, which includes minibus hires, car schemes, and wheelchair loans, as well as social groups and activities. Donald Hall, CEO of BSCX, says that without this service, many people across the region would face barriers to accessing transportation, which would negatively effect their health and wellbeing.

“Our core aim is around community transport but we do a lot to support the wider health and wellbeing of our communities”, Donald says. “Most of our service users are elderly and/or disabled, so we do a lot of work around the preventative agenda by offering services such as a befriending group, as well as transport to key appointments and other local activities.”

To reduce health inequalities and achieve better outcomes for the whole community, BSCX believes it is essential to put people at the centre of decisions that affect them. In line with this, the organisation ensure that they provide transport links that allows people to socialise with each other and gain a sense of empowerment and belonging in the community, whilst offering social activities to support this.

“We see bucket loads of impact every day which is an amazing thing about this organisation”, Donald says. “We help people get out for the first time in a week, help them to remain independent at home, and ensure they’re able to take control of their lives and make their own decisions, which is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of a community.”

Despite experiencing challenges with funding in recent times, BSCX has service level agreements with Highland Council and the NHS to ensure services can continue to operate. As a result, the organisation champion partnership working with a range of partners across sectors, which is vital for the sharing of knowledge, learning and expertise.

“We currently work with around twenty different partners, including Alzheimer’s Scotland and Shinty Memories, and support the transport needs of other local groups”, Donald says. “We’ve had to adapt what we do and identify more efficient ways to work with our partners, because the crucial thing is that everybody needs transport and there can be many barriers to achieving that, so we often fill that gap and take people out to access opportunities they wouldn’t normally get to.”

Going forward, BSCX hopes to continue supporting their communities for at least the next twenty-five years, ensuring everyone in Badenoch and Strathspey can overcome barriers to access the services they need, whilst enjoying their right to live well with dignity and respect.

“We want to keep developing what we do, keep learning from others, and ultimately keep delivering for our local communities”, Donald says. “Their needs are developing and changing all the time – we have to adapt to that, but crucially we’ve had twenty-five years of doing it, so we’re going to keep working hard for the next twenty-five as well.”

You can find out more about BSCX on their website: https://www.bscx.co.uk