Sunday 22 June 2008

Wigan Lift Programme

A reader has asked me what our current campaign Ashton Forward is hoping to achieve for Ashton in the way of medical facilities with regard to the LIFT programme. To give people an idea of what we hope to achieve I have copied below information from the Ashton Leigh and Wigan web page. More details and pictures of the existing projects can be obtained from:

http://www.alwpct.nhs.uk/Health%20Developments/LIFT/LIFT.asp

Wigan’s LIFT Company, Foundation for Life (FfL), was established in December 2003 as a result of a Department of Health initiative to develop Public/Private Partnerships to deliver high quality facilities in community settings. FfL’s shareholders include the PCT, Partnerships for Health (Department of Health) and Eric Wright Group (Private Sector Partners).Since January 2004, FfL has built 6 LIFT facilities with a capital value of almost £40million. They are:

1. Ormerod House, Atherton
2. Claire House, Lower Ince
3. Chandler House, Worsley Mesnes
4. Kid Glove House, Golborne
5. Boston House, Wigan
6. Platt Bridge Community Health Centre

The range of services provided varies in each facility but include the following:

1. Primary Care Services – in every facility. Cover over 60,000 patients
2. Community services – in all but Kidglove House. Services include District Nursing, Health Visiting, Counselling, Dietetics, Speech & Language Therapy, Family Planning, Midwifery, Podiatry
3. Child Health Services
4. Children’s Hearing Services in 4 facilities*
5. Physiotherapy departments in 4 facilities*
6. Hydrotherapy at Platt Bridge*
7. Integrated Therapy Services for Children with Complex Needs*
8. Diabetic Retinopathy in Kidglove House*
9. Long Term Condition Services in Boston House*
10. Renal Dialysis Unit in Boston House*
11. Wheelchair Service*
12. Adult Community Mental Health teams in Claire and Boston House
13. Minor Surgery Suites in 4 sites*
14. Pharmacy in all but Kidglove House
15. PCT’s Education and Learning Centre in Chandler House*

* Borough-wide services

There are plans to provide Sexual Health Services and Independent Sector diagnostic services from Claire House within the next year. Wherever possible, the LIFT developments have used regenerated land to help redevelop previously deprived areas of the Borough. As well as providing high quality facilities that meet all current standards on energy conservation, health and safety etc, there has been a deliberate intention to design landmark buildings that add value to the local area.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Golborne has had 2 brand new clinics and Wigan 4 when are the poor people of Ashton going to get the outdated pre war clinc we have replaced Again Ashton the town Wigan forgot.Plenty of talk and promisses no action remember the fire station we were promissed?????????????/

debbie said...

Thanks for the information on the 'Lift Centre' Nigel, it really has helped to clarify the difference. Do you know what square footage is needed for the centre? & finally do you know of anyone that would consider giving a brief talk to local community groups?

Cllr Nigel Ash said...

At the moment there are no definite plans for such a centre in Ashton. I agree that community groups and residents should be fully informed if and when definite plans appear and I will do my best to make sure that local residents are informed fully through the media and the township forum which representatives of most local groups attend.

Cllr Nigel Ash said...

At the moment there are no definite plans for such a centre in Ashton. I agree that community groups and residents should be fully informed if and when definite plans appear and I will do my best to make sure that local residents are informed fully through the media and the township forum which representatives of most local groups attend.

Anonymous said...

I totally understand that there are no definite plans at the moment, but surely the Town would be better prepared for any decision making if they were fully up to speed as to the choices available, and I thought that the money available from the PCT was due to run out in the very near future, so, my thoughts were that if the general community understood a little bit more as to the benefits of these centres, it would just be a case of sorting the land out? These are just my general thoughts, hope they make sense.