Lancs hub upgrade will provide easier access for Skem residents

SKELMERSDALE residents are set to benefit from a new, enhanced West Lancashire care coordination hub.

Patients who contact Virgin Care’s adult community services and urgent care teams can now access a multidisciplinary team of administrators, district nurses and therapists.

Hub organisers say more enquiries can now be dealt with at the first point of contact.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hub extended its hours so that the team were available seven days a week, from 8am-6.30pm during the week, and 8am-6pm at the weekend.

Michelle Lee, Managing Director of Virgin Care in Lancashire, said: “We are committed to providing quality services for West Lancashire residents, as well as improving the patient experience by looking at new ways of working.

“We had already started doing the work to develop our care coordination hub, but the pandemic drove this forward and we are now able to offer a service that is much more easy to access and effective in responding to patients.”

Staff have received equipment for remote working so the service can still operate effectively.

Claire Heneghan, chief nurse at NHS West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The CCG’s vision for joined up care, known as Building for the Future, aims to help everyone be more in control of their own health, have better access to health services and receive coordinated support that is tailored to their own personal needs.

The hub’s automated phone system is being updated to make the system easier to navigate.

Claire said: “It is important that our community services are coordinated to make it easy for patients to access the care they need in a simple, uncomplicated way.

“This allows them the confidence to know where to turn when they or a loved one need the support of community health services.”

Patients can contact the care coordination hub to access any of the adult community services run by Virgin Care, as well as Skelmersdale Walk In Centre, located in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, and West Lancashire Urgent Treatment Centre.

For more information, please visit their website.