Erdington Residents to benefit from new Walk-in centre

Erdington residents are soon to benefit from an innovative walk-in centre, with facilities to improve their health and wellbeing.

NHS Birmingham East and North is set to open a Health and Wellbeing Centre on Erdington High Street on July 26 2010, to provide accessible health services for people in and around Erdington.
The centre is part of an initiative by the trust to increase access to GPs within communities that have traditionally experienced greater levels of ill health and have had access to a lower number of GPs than other areas
A spokesperson NHS Birmingham East and North said: “The high street setting and improving the ease of access to these services will prove to be a massive boost to the health of the local population."

Walk-in centre will house different facilities on each floor. This includes a walk-in GP practice which will be open 365 days a year, a sexual health service, due to open in October, and health information and wellbeing service.

Health Exchange, a social enterprise dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of people living in the West Midlands, will be running the Health information and wellbeing service from the ground floor. Health Exchange will offer support on a one-to-one basis to enable individuals to make positive lifestyle choices.

Health Exchange will provide information and guidance to help people improve their health and wellbeing and make positive lifestyle choices. It will also point them in the direction of local services that can help them. The health promotion service will be open to all but specifically target young people and those who historically have difficulty in accessing services.

Sue Turton, Health Exchanges’ Operations Director, said: “One of the aims of Health Exchange is to build relationships with local organisations and to work in partnership to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the local community. This facility will allow local people to access the most up to date health Information and support that is personal to them.

For further information about Health Exchange please visit: http://www.healthexchange.org.uk/

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Notes for editors:
The Centre will be open from 8:00am to 8:00pm, and members of the communication can drop-in from 9:30am onwards. The walk-in facility will be timetabled to include resident Health Trainers and regular visits from the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Health Exchange will be run on a day-to-day basis by Elayne Pugh, the Health and Well-being Coordinator for Health Exchange
Please see attached images below

For further information please contact:
Patrick McCormick, Health Exchange CIC Limited
Email: Patrick.McCormick@healthexchange.org.uk
Tel: 0121 607 0110
Mobile: 07799 656 883