Health Board plants time capsule to mark new Flint Health Centre

Local schools, local representatives and community groups have come together to create a time capsule for the new Flint Health Centre.

All the Flint primary and secondary schools have been working to create a series of items which will mark the opening of the health centre such as pictures and photographs of the local area and some artwork that was inspired by the Health and Wellbeing Centre that was created by school pupils.

Local GP practices have also donated items for the time capsule that reflect typical healthcare in 2018.

The capsule was buried at the Health Centre in the presence of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Health Board.

Peter Higson, Chairman of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said:

“It’s great to mark this new health centre with a time capsule created by the local community. It will provide a lasting record of what life was like at the point of the health centre opening and is a lovely way to celebrate such brilliant new facilities coming to Flint”.

The new Flint Health Centre is welcoming three brand new services that haven’t been seen in community care in Flint before.

New Audiology, Heart Failure and Physiotherapy services will begin clinics in the new Health Centre when it opens on April 9^th.

The new audiology service will enable patients to have their hearing aids fitted if they are new or existing patients and staff will be able fit exchange hearing aids and carry out repairs on them.

The team will also perform a special type of hearing test whilst the hearing aid is being worn by the user.

Audiologist Suzanne Tyson said,

“We are so excited to be moving into the new health centre and we are looking forward to being able to provide audiology services for the community in Flint on their doorstep.

“The new clinical spaces look fantastic and we can’t wait to get started.”

This popular clinic is currently only available in Holywell hospital and so the new health centre is bringing this type of care closer to the local community in Flint.

There is also a heart failure team beginning work in the Health Centre who will provide ‘vital’ services for patients who have heart conditions.

The team will support patients, relatives and carers by helping them to clinically manage their conditions by reviewing medication and monitoring their progress.

The new team consists of specialist cardiac nurses and a specialist cardiology pharmacist with advanced examination and prescribing skills in this area.

Heart failure is common condition and means that the heart is unable to perform its normal pumping function adequately. This can lead to various symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and some patients may find exercise challenging.

These symptoms can have a serious impact on patients’ ability to perform day to day activities. Patients who are newly diagnosed with the condition or have worsening symptoms can be referred to the team in the health centre.

Heart failure specialist nurse Andy Bennett said:

“It’s fantastic that we will be able to offer this vital heart failure service in Flint.

“It can often be a challenge for patients to adjust the way they live so that they can manage their condition so it’s fantastic that we will be able to monitor patients’ progress and make sure we get them the most suitable medication to enable them to lead a full life.”

The new physio service at the Health Centre will enable patients direct access to a physiotherapist for help with common musculoskeletal problems.

The physiotherapist can assess patients for ailments like back pain, knee injuries and shoulder pain and they can arrange x-rays, consultant appointments, ultrasound scans and joint injections if they are needed.

Flint physiotherapist Antony Williams said:

“The new service will be really helpful for people in Flint because they will be able to self-refer to the service without having to see a GP first.

“It’s great that the health board are funding the development of the physio service in North Wales. It will help not to waste valuable GP time so they can see more complex cases and patients will get to see an expert in musculoskeletal problems.”

Our new Flint physiotherapy service can also refer patients for a longer course of conventional treatment for an injury if they need it.