Wellbeing Hub opens

The latest addition to Plymouth’s network of Wellbeing Hubs has opened in Mount Gould at The William and Patricia Venton Centre, home of Age UK Plymouth.

The partnership between Age UK Plymouth and Plymouth City Council will see local organisations including Improving Lives Plymouth, Timebank South West, Livewell South West and Wolseley Trust using the Hub to host community groups, events and activities as well as services such as social prescribing and age positivity projects.

The Hub, designed to focus on making access to services easier for the community, will have four main aims: to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for local people, to reduce inequalities in health and wellbeing, to improve people’s experience of care and the sustainability of the health and wellbeing system.

In addition to the newly refurbished area at the centre, Age UK Plymouth have also assembled a new team to specifically oversee the running of the Hub and community projects and services which will be run from the centre.

The offer at Mount Gould’s Wellbeing Hub includes:

• health advocacy through social prescribing
• advice on a range of issues including social care, welfare benefits, housing and consumer issues from Age UK Plymouth’s Information and Advice Team
• a dedicated befriending and phone friend service
• a range of local volunteering opportunities
• signposting of local and citywide providers of health services and community groups and activities
• activities, workshops and events including coffee mornings and lunch clubs
• advice with managing long term health conditions through a partnership with Livewell South West that enables drop in sessions to be made available within the community
• working in partnership with Improving Lives Plymouth, both to provide support for carers and on an age positive programme

The new Hub will be open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.

Councillor Dr John Mahony, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, added: “I am really pleased that we are opening the new Health and Wellbeing Hub in Mount Gould, the result of a very successful partnership between organisations in the city and it’s fantastic to see it come to fruition.

“The Hub will bring people together, helping to reduce loneliness and isolation and offering useful advice, all of which will improve wellbeing. New community projects will compliment the range of services already on offer including veterans’ projects, befriending services and social events, providing supportive services for anyone who needs it.”

Alison Feek, Wellbeing Hub Manager for Age UK Plymouth said, “Plymouth’s network of Wellbeing Hubs are a fantastic asset for the city. We are very fortunate at Age UK Plymouth to work collaboratively with other organisations and charities in the city to signpost and refer; but now we and our partners can really strengthen our offering for the community by coming together under one roof.”

Heather Stenning, Head of Services at Age UK Plymouth said: “We are proud to have been selected as the location for this new Wellbeing Hub, it really speaks to the strength of the partnership we have with Plymouth City Council and is a testament to the success of our community based projects over recent years. We look forward to growing our programme of regular services and events and hosting our partner organisations as they continue their excellent work providing a varied and quality offering to the community.”

An open day was held today to celebrate the launch of the Hub, giving members of the community an opportunity to explore the new facilities and access advice and information about the services on offer.