The Brooklands Health Centre is championing accessible services across Eastern Milton Keynes.
Initiatives at the new Brooklands Health Centre in the Eastern Expansion Area of Milton Keynes have allowed vulnerable members of the community to access health support, and ensures its services are accessible for new and existing patients.
Since moving into its purpose-built building in September 2018, the first of its kind in Milton Keynes, Brooklands has introduced vital services. These include clinics for patients to seek advice for sexual health, which operate every Saturday to fit around work and childcare commitments, and advocates social prescribing practices for its younger patient demographic, such as football coaching and swimming lessons, which have already had a positive reception.
The health centre has also introduced specific appointment times and drop-in support for unpaid carers supporting their own loved ones. These allow carers to get advice, check on their own health, and access other services such as discount cards to use at shopping centres and names of support charities in the local area.
Furthermore, Brooklands has shown a proactive approach supporting Milton Keynes’ homeless community, which has increased dramatically since 2010 and is one of the highest rates in the country according to official reports.
Partnering with charities and other support organisations, Brooklands’ staff host a monthly outreach programme which enables homeless individuals to have vital vaccinations and access to medication they might require.
These initiatives are prime examples of how the Brooklands Health Centre goes beyond its normal expectations and boundaries to support its community, practice manager Fazilat Shivji believes.
“The initiatives we’ve implemented here at Brooklands have ensured that people of all ages, backgrounds and requirements have the support they deserve,” she says. “Our support for the homeless has been especially poignant because you only have to walk around Milton Keynes to see how many people are living on the streets – something you just don’t expect in 2019.
“With such a wide demographic like we have here, clinics play a vital role in making care accessible for everyone – and we always aim to provide an open, encouraging atmosphere for anyone who attends.”
Managed by The Practice Group, The Brooklands Health Centre is part of a network of two additional surgeries; the Kingfisher Surgery (where Fazilat was previously practice manager) and Newport Pagnell Medical Centre, all of which operate within a five-mile radius of one another.
Patients registered at either surgery can be seen at Brooklands, which is open from 8am to 8pm every day, including weekends and bank holidays, ensuring consistency when it comes to their care.
Being part of this network also allows The Brooklands Centre and the other surgeries to support each other by sharing best practice and facilities. Brooklands also provides training courses for current and new GPs, some of whom have specific areas of interest and knowledge, and is moving ahead to bring in nurses, pharmacists, and even paramedics, to reduce pressures on GPs.
“Moving into the Brooklands Health Centre has allowed us to offer a wider scope of services and support for our patients,” Fazilat says. “We now have the facility for patients who have called the 111 non-emergency line to be booked straight into our appointment booking system if necessary and moving forwards, we’ll be introducing email queries as a first point of contact for people wanting to know more about the services we offer.”
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