To help people live longer, healthier, happier lives
To see Kelsall and its surrounding villages grow to be a strong, cohesive, resilient community and an outstanding place in which to:
As part of the planning process for Kelsall’s new Medical Centre the doctors recognised that, as demands on the NHS and Social Care increase due to an aging population and rising costs, more is needed in our communities to improve health and wellbeing. They recommended that a dedicated space for community activities be included in the new building but, when no further central NHS funding was forthcoming, asked the Patient Participation Group (PPG) to help. Taking up this challenge in late 2018 the PPG commenced a series of fund-raising activities, including the issue of community bonds, which successfully raised the £130,000 required to allow construction of an annexe, now known as The Wellbeing Hub, to commence earlier this year. Further fund raising and grant applications are now on-going to furnish and equip the room and adjacent outside space set to open to the community in March 2022
Located immediately adjacent to the Medical Centre’s main entrance, The Hub will provide a welcoming space where people can just drop in for a coffee, meet other locals and have a chat. It will also host a wide range of support activities for people of all ages dealing with such things as adapting to life with a new baby, caring for sick or elderly relatives, bringing up children, being bullied at school and generally feeling anxious or unhappy. In addition to the services specified by the GPs to help their patients there will be a series of consultation events to ask the whole community what they would like to see happening in the Hub. External partner organisations and local volunteers will then be engaged to provide a comprehensive range of support to meet the specific needs of residents of the village and surrounding areas.
The development and on-going management of The Hub will be overseen by a team of eight Trustees who bring a breadth of professional experience to the project. In addition to liaising with external providers, the Trustees will recruit a base of local volunteers to contribute to the day-to-day running of the space. In addition to the activities hosted in The Hub, these volunteers will be trained to sign-post people to appropriate services – whether provided by the NHS, the Council or charities – which can address any challenges they may face.
The Hub will provide a base from which Kelsall can develop into a caring and supportive community that helps its residents to remain fit and healthy, reduce isolation, prevent unhappiness, cope with long term medical conditions and to generally lead happier and healthier lives.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity of working with the Patient Participation Group and the wider community of Kelsall on our new Wellbeing Hub, using input from community groups and already established organisations to make a real difference to the wellbeing of our patients through developing a focal point for these organisations to come together. The idea of a Wellbeing Hub came from an initial realisation that there were lots of conversations in the waiting room and at times these seem as important to people’s wellbeing as seeing a health professional. Social isolation is an increasing issue and one which cannot be solved with a prescription. Enabling people to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, is very important. We are really excited about the possibility of being able to provide a place where people can meet that focuses on the wellbeing of the community as a priority.”
“A key strength of the planned development is the creation of the Wellbeing Hub, a facility accessible to the community, third sector and other organizations that can help the practice to offer much more than a traditional General Practice. The ability to become a central point in the local community; helping individuals to look after themselves, tackling loneliness and isolation, and providing a space in which the community’s wider health and wellbeing needs can be supported is strongly in line with the local vision of General Practice and Primary Care. Nationally recognized sites of best practice have used similar models adapted for their own local needs and I am excited and supportive of the work happening in Kelsall, especially through their Patient Participation Group, to develop such a Wellbeing Hub.”
