The Western Wellbeing Centre in Peel is holding an Open Day next week to raise awareness of the services it offers, and to celebrate the provision of community care in the heart of the West of the Island for over a year.
The centre is home of the Western Wellbeing Partnership and provides integrated community care to people living within the catchment area for Peel Medical Centre, ensuring that people who need access to health and social care services can do so closer to their homes. Manx Care and Third Sector organisations work together to deliver a seamless person-centered, multi-agency health and social care service through a single point of referral that will deliver better outcomes for our population. This includes:
- Manx Care
- Manx charities
- Peel Medical Centre
- Public Health
- The Live at Home scheme
- Crossroads Care
- Hospice Isle of Man
- The Western Neighbourhood Policing Team
The Open Day on Wednesday 22 September will allow people to look at the centre’s facilities at its base on Derby Road (opposite Shoprite car park), as well as find out more about the regular drop-in sessions it hosts. This includes with Community Mental Health, the District Nursing team, the Benefits team (providing assistance with making a claim, queries with ongoing claims or advice), Hospice Isle of Man and the Welcome Centre Community Support team.
The centre offers planned appointments for services including Podiatry, the Memory Clinic and Community Midwives, as well as a Day Centre facility. It also assists with referrals for health and social care services from audiology to re-ablement, quitting smoking, learning disability support and health visiting. It isn’t just for personal concerns either – anyone who is worried about a vulnerable person, friend or relative can confidentially enquire about services that may be available to support them in the West.
Similar Wellbeing Partnerships are being developed in the North (Ramsey) and South (Port Erin) of the Island in order to improve community-based access to health and social care for those communities and the people living within them.
Claire Bader is Lead for the Western Wellbeing Partnership, and commented:
'Since its launch one year ago, the Western Wellbeing Centre has offered a welcoming, friendly and approachable place for people living in the West of the Island to come and feel safe, and receive the health and social care advice and support they need on their doorstep. They really enjoy the fact that the centre and its services are discreet and offered in confidence. Hilary Yates, our Wellbeing Referral Co-ordinator, is always here with an open door for anyone who requires advice or guidance, and we would encourage people to come and see us to find out how we can help them.'
Sally Shaw, Manx Care’s Executive Director of Social Care, added:
'One of the key recommendations of Sir Jonathan Michael’s independent review into the provision of health and social care on the Island was that we need to integrate the care that we provide for residents who often access support from multiple agencies, and deliver this closer to their homes rather than via a fragmented approach across different locations. The provision of integrated care ensures faster access to relevant support, and can often act as a preventative measure to reduce the chance that peoples’ health and social care concerns may deteriorate further. This is an exciting time for Manx Care as we continue to work in conjunction with our partners to shape the provision of community-based health and social care services for the people of the Isle of Man.'
The Western Wellbeing Partnership Open Day takes place on Wednesday 22 September between 2pm and 6:30pm at the Western Wellbeing Centre, Derby Road, Peel. The event will be a drop-in session and refreshments will be available. The use of facemasks is recommended but will not be mandatory. Anyone who is displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 should isolate at home and book a PCR test via 111.
