NHS Lothian pilots Access to Health scheme

The two-year pilot, expected to be rolled out in early 2007, will offer health checks and advice on a range of health issues, from smoking cessation, healthy eating, alcohol misuse and mental health and well-being.

A total of five West Lothian practices will be participating in the pilot, aiming to encourage registered patients to attend for an assessment. Those practices are in Blackridge, Blackburn and Craigshill, with two in Fauldhouse.

A small, dedicated outreach service, called Body Check, will also be piloted, with three community settings being targeted to identify those with possible undiagnosed health problems. The four settings are Craigshill Mall, Blackburn shopping centre, a supermarket and a community pharmacy, where it is anticipated that a small team – including the physician’s assistant, a nurse and administrative support – will offer opportunistic health checks to customers.

Doreen Trainor, Chief Nurse, West Lothian CHCP, said: “This is an exciting initiative and it has generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm among staff, volunteers and members of the public. This is a real opportunity to reach out to those people we don’t normally engage with and try to promote a healthy lifestyle and health outcomes.”

Dr Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health, NHS Lothian, said: “We know that people in poorer areas get sick earlier and die younger, largely unnecessarily. The health service has an important part to play in ensuring that the way we provide healthcare makes it easy for people to access assessment and treatment.”

Any patient registered with a GP in West Lothian can ask for a health check as part of their on-going healthcare requirements.

Other pilots are taking place throughout Scotland, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Tayside.

ENDS

Gareth Gillespie NHS Lothian Communications 0131 536 9315 November 2006

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 00:38:19