A pioneering new facility where Warrington residents can access early help and support with their health and wellbeing is set to open to the public on Wednesday 6 March 2024.
Photography by John Bean
Clinicians from Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will be working alongside colleagues from Warrington Council, Warrington and Halton Hospitals, Mersey Care and the voluntary sector to provide a wide range of health and social care services to families across the borough.
Health visitors, specially trained nurses from the bladder and bowel service, highly skilled technicians and therapists from the acclaimed Drive Ability North West team, podiatrists, health visitors, clinicians from the falls service and school nurses will be on hand during the week to support families and individuals.
“By working together with our colleagues from the hospital and council we hope to provide even more help and support to our local community.
“This is a new and exciting development and will provide local people with easy access to a wide range of health and social care services.” explained Dr Ted Adams, Medical Director at Bridgewater.
“Bridgewater is delighted to be part of the of the Living Well Hub which has been developed with the local community very much in mind.
“By co-locating services in an easy to reach location we hope to break down the barriers which, in the past, have prevented people accessing the help and support they need.”
The Hub, which is set to open on March 11, is located within the former Warrington Contact Centre on Horsemarket Street, Warrington and has received £3 million from Warrington’s Town Deal and is part of a £22 million programme of connected schemes across Warrington.
Developed with the community in mind the Living Well Hub is set to open later this year and will help you look after yourself and your family. It will be a safe, welcoming space where you can go to talk and get advice about any challenges that may be impacting on your health and wellbeing.
The Living Well Hub is part of the borough-wide Living Well programme that aims to connect people, communities and services and enable residents to take greater control of their own health, wellbeing, and resilience.
One of the Hub’s great advantages is its handy town centre location, within easy reach of the bus interchange and train station and with ample blue badge parking nearby.
Inside the Hub there will be a number of clinical and non-clinical rooms, along with pre-booked and drop-in appointment spaces offering a range of services including:
- support for children and families about how to lead healthier and more active lives
- assistance for older residents with early signs of frailty who want to continue to live independently at home
- health visitor advice and guidance
- antenatal/postnatal clinics
- dementia assessments and support
- support for people providing care to others.
Plans for the Hub also include the addition of a rooftop extension and refreshment area.
Like most towns and cities across the UK, Warrington has experienced unprecedented levels of demand for health and care services because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warrington is also one of the fastest growing towns in the UK with an ageing population. The population of the borough of Warrington is around 210,000, with the number of people aged 65 and above set to double over the next 20 years.
Therefore, new and innovative approaches to health and care services in the community are now required to meet current and future demands.
Warrington’s Living Well Hub will create a focal point for the health and care system to collectively support early intervention and the prevention of ill health.
It will in time help to ease pressure on other health and care services across the town, such as GP appointments and services at Warrington Hospital.
The location of the Hub, in the town centre, is close to the areas of highest deprivation in Warrington so ideally situated to have the largest impact in terms of supporting those with the greatest needs to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Warrington’s initial Town Deal bid was shaped by public feedback and consultation.
The public engagement undertaken during the early planning stages of the Living Well Hub project showed support for a new health and wellbeing facility in the town centre.
Feedback from residents suggested that a space to offer help and advice to families would be especially welcome.
The Living Well Hub has been developed in partnership with a range of stakeholders from across the borough Living Well is about bringing people and organisations together from across health, public health, adult social care, the voluntary sector, and our local communities.
The aim of Living Well is to make sure you can access the right help and support for your individual needs in order to resolve any issues that could affect your physical, social and emotional wellbeing. It is centred around seven key themes:
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Living safe and well at home
- Being active and mobile
- Connecting with friends, family and community
- Managing medications and health conditions
- Money advice, housing and life changes
- Healthy lifestyle choices (including eating and drinking).
Details of the services and support available will be publicised throughout the local community. In the meantime, you can access friendly, face-to-face information, support, and guidance via one of Warrington’s Talking Points.
Talking Points were introduced as part of the Living Well programme and are places where you can speak to an advisor about anything that might be concerning you.
For example, you might need help connecting with local groups and activities, using online services, dealing with finance and benefits or health and social care issues.
Talking Point advisors aren’t from any one organisation, so they can offer advice on a variety of issues or signpost you to other services or groups that can help.
For the latest information about the Living Well Hub, please visit: www.warrington.gov.uk/living-well-hub.