Self-Care Week plans progress in Blackburn with Darwen

An annual awareness event that promotes the benefit of self-care, will take place on November 18-24.

Self-Care Week is about encouraging people to “self-care” which means “look after themselves” – manage simple, short-term conditions at home or by visiting a pharmacy

One of the events to mark the week will take place at Blackburn Library and Care Network Hub which will host a free health and wellbeing event on Wednesday, November 20.

The event will run from 10 to 2pm at both buildings.

For more information about Self-Care Week visit the CCG website.

Self-care Week is being supported by Blackburn with Darwen Local Integrated Care Partnership, which is made up of GP practices, local NHS organisations, the Council and community and voluntary organisations.

The partnership sees the organisations working more closely to deliver develop health and care services that are delivered in people’s communities and designed around their needs.

Locally, we have established integrated neighbourhood teams, which see Council staff, NHS staff and community and voluntary staff sat next to each other and working together.

We have also split the borough into four areas called primary care neighbourhoods (PCN). Each area has about 30,000 to 50,000 residents in it and the role of the PCN is to co-ordinate efforts on a neighbourhood level to improve people’s health and direct services according to the needs of the people living there.

As the PCNs oversee a smaller area, they can really get to grips with the issues on their patch. They know the place and they be able to prioritise efforts and resources on the things that matter in that community. They also can look at and deal with issues that may not seem like they are health related (housing, litter, jobs) but, as research shows, do have a massive impact on it and they can use the collective resources and focus on trying to address some of those things (i.e. organising a clean-ups).

The Blackburn Library event has been organised by West PCN.