CARDIFF and Vale Health Board is holding its next engagement session on the Vale’s potential new ‘Wellbeing Hub’.

For months now, Cardiff and Vale Health Board have been canvassing opinion on a new 'super GP practice' which could be built either next to Penarth Leisure Centre, or Penarth’s old police station on Windsor Road.

The Wellbeing Hub is described as “an integrated, community-focused health and wellbeing facility which will provide people with access to primary care (for example, doctors, physiotherapists and optometrists) and a wider range of health, care, and wellbeing services in the community”.

Wellbeing Hubs are popping up all over Wales as part of Welsh Government’s strategy for health care in the country, with one built recently in Maelfa, Llanedeyrn, Cardiff.

They come with a pricetag of £20 million.

Health boards have to convince the government of their strategic need in the county for the government to release the funds.

Penarth Times: What a Wellbeing Hub could look like, like the one in Maelfa, Llanedeyrn, CardiffWhat a Wellbeing Hub could look like, like the one in Maelfa, Llanedeyrn, Cardiff (Image: CVUHB)

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At the latest engagement session in Penarth’s Belle Vue pavilion, residents had an opportunity to see what services could be on offer in a Wellbeing Hub - from community child health services to pain management.

A makeshift survey stuck to the walls that people could add to showed having district nurses and acute response teams, and physiotherapy were three of the most important services people wanted to see in a community setting.

At that engagement meeting, discussing location options of the proposed Wellbeing Hub, head of planning Marie Davies said: “Cogan has more space for development, but there are clear issues around access and traffic.

“The police station is more constrained from a footprint point of view. We’re looking at opportunities to expand, but we are not sure we can get everything there.”

The next engagement session will be held at Murchfield Community Centre, Sunnycroft Lane, Dinas Powys, CF64 4QQ, on Monday, December 11, between 3pm and 7pm.

(Information below supplied by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board's 'Shaping Our Future Wellbeing Plan' which can be accessed, here.)

What is a Wellbeing Hub?

A wellbeing hub is an integrated, community-focused health and wellbeing facility. They provide people with access to primary care (for example, doctors, physiotherapists and optometrists) and a wider range of health, care, and wellbeing services in the community.

It does not replace GP services, but extends services away from hospitals and into communities. These services might include maternity services, diagnostics, physiotherapy and other outpatient services. They allow us to provide a greater range of services closer to home.

Wellbeing Hubs are part of our proposal to improve infrastructure to provide wider opportunities and expand offerings.

What services are in a Wellbeing Hub?

Wellbeing Hubs may provide the following:

  • GP services;
  • Health and wellbeing information, advice and education;
  • Community health clinics e.g. district nursing, child health, sexual health, podiatry, dietetics etc;
  • Community midwifery services;
  • Primary Mental Health Services;
  • Specific outpatient services to meet health priorities;
  • Social care and third sector/community group provision;
  • Other services tailored to meet the specific needs of the local community.

Who can use a Wellbeing Hub?

Wellbeing Hubs can be used by anyone in the area, no matter their GP surgery.

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