A healthy future: Health and care services are changing for the better

Published Friday 1 March 2019 at 11:06

Dozens of people flocked to a special event to find out more about health and care services available in their area.

The Healthy Darwen event saw residents treated to healthy eating demonstrations, yoga classes, health and care service information and a children’s entertainer.

The event, held at the Whitehall Hotel, was the brainchild of the Darwen Healthcare Patient Participation Group (PPG) and was organised by the new Darwen Primary Care Neighbourhood (PCN) Group.

The Darwen PCN is part of a shake-up of how health and care services are delivered in the borough.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is working with the borough’s Clinical Commissioning Group, GP Federation, Health Trusts and Community and Voluntary Organisations to integrate services.

And, professionals have grouped together to create primary care neighbourhoods.

This means doctors, nurses, GP practice staff, social care staff, community reps and other professionals are working more closely together to help people stay well and get the care they need closer to their home.

The borough has been split into four areas – North, West, East and Darwen.

Each area has about 30,000 to 50,000 residents in it and is covered by a PCN.

As the PCNs are local, they will get to know the area’s residents and the area’s unique issues so they can co-ordinate efforts to tackle them.

The development of neighbourhood working is just one of the exciting things happening to improve health and wellbeing in the borough.

Last year, the Council, on behalf of Pennine Lancashire’s Together A Healthier Future partnership, secured up to £10m worth of funding from Sports England to get more people physically active.

Together A Healthier Future is a programme to improve our health and care system in Pennine Lancashire, which is made up of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.

Since the announcement, a lot of work has been undertaken to develop the pilot including directly working with groups which have been successful in get inactive people with poor mental health more active.

A number of engagement sessions for residents, community groups and sports clubs to shape the pilot are also being planned.

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