Launceston now has its very own health hub, with more than 36 services operating out of it to bring additional healthcare support to the community.
Launceston Health Hub will enhance biopsychosocial provision and alleviate pressure on local GP and hospital services, coordinating services from a central location in the town. A collaborative project between Launceston Medical Centre, Tamar Valley Health and Volunteer Cornwall, and the brainchild of Lead Chartered GP Clinical Psychologist, Dr Beks Magill, the health hub officially opened its doors to the public on 11th July, and can be found on Exeter Street.
The health hub is exactly what it promised to be: a safe space in the town to allow patients to access support for existing physical and mental health problems. It is set across three units, with a reception desk and co-working area for the hub’s service providers in unit A, a group space in unit B, and three one-to-one spaces in unit C. A big community noticeboard can be found in the window of unit C, promoting local wellbeing groups and events.
Dr Magill and Launceston’s social prescriber, Jess Careswell, have coordinated the project alongside a small project team and pulled family and friends together to transform the space into a welcoming hub
for the community.
“People have gone over and above” Jess said. “It’s good to see it nearly finished and the space that Dr Magill had envisioned for the project brought to life.
“We have 36 services in total offering provision in the hub, some of which we have never had access to in Launceston before.”
Patients will be contacted by the service they need to access, and invited to access support at the health hub in Launceston. This is to ensure it is used as effectively as possible. While it is not a drop-in, it is hoped some services may offer occasional drop-in days in the future.
“We will be welcoming some Plymouth University students to do some evaluation work, so we can see the effect the hub has on the GP surgery and community,” Jess explained. “This will also allow us to establish which services are needed the most, which are utilised the most, which have the biggest impact on the community, and if there is any difference with GP appointment attendance and wait times.
“By collaborating with Derriford Hospital, the GP practices, Volunteer Cornwall, the 36 services that have already pledged to offer their provision from the Health Hub and more, we envisage this collaborative work means we can access people in the community who need these services the very most.”
The introduction of trained patient volunteers will offer an extra support network to people experiencing health issues in the area, using their own experiences to support others alongside
Volunteer Cornwall.
For more about the health hub, please drop an email to launcestonhealthhub@volunteercornwall.org.uk
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