Community 1st Oldham (C1OL)
C1OL News
25-03-2008
Oldham wins LIFT Area of the Year
The Oldham borough has received national recognition at the prestigious annual LIFT Awards after winning the most coveted award for the event and being recognised as ‘LIFT Area of the Year’.
The LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) programme in Oldham aims to deliver the most significant investment in primary health care and community facilities locally in recent years which will enable a broader range of services to be delivered closer to peoples home.
The award is in recognition of the excellent partnership work taking place between Community 1st Oldham (the Oldham LIFT Company), Oldham Primary Care Trust, Oldham Council and other partners in delivering the LIFT programme in Oldham.
Developments delivered via the LIFT programme to date include the Moorside Medical Centre and the Glodwick Primary Care Centre. These developments are already making a difference to people’s lives, including patients, their families and healthcare professionals and the Primary Care Trust continue to work with local clinicians, patients and other members of the community to continually improve services being delivered from these and future facilities.
In addition to these great facilities, the construction of the multi million pound town centre Integrated Care Centre adjacent to the Civic Centre is well underway and is due to open its doors to the public in Summer 2009.
The Integrated Care Centre is a significant flagship health and social care development for the Oldham borough and will be the largest primary care facility delivered by LIFT in the UK. The centre provide better care for all by bringinga range of services together under one roof for the first time in Oldham; this will enable people to have access to diagnostic testing and emergency treatment without having to go to hospital.
Gail Richards, Oldham PCT chief executive, said: “We are thrilled that Oldham has received the recognition of this award for the early hard work of the Primary Care Trust, clinicians and the community for what has been achieved so far through the LIFT partnership.
“We are continually taking steps forward to make sure people across the borough have good access to high quality local services and now we are beginning to see real changes in the borough which are making a real difference to people's lives – both patients, their families and healthcare professionals.
“We will be working with local clinicians, patients and members of the public to develop future plans to make sure they meet the needs of the communities they serve.”
To date around £44 million has been invested in health and community services infrastructure through the LIFT programme, with up to a further £59 million of potential investment currently being considered for the development of new health, wellbeing and community facilities at various locations across the borough.
This investment will allow the Primary Care Trust and Oldham Council to deliver more community based services from modern state of the art facilities, and over the next few years it is estimated that the total investment in Oldham through the LIFT programme will rise to around £100m.
The success of the Oldham LIFT programme to date has been down to the excellent partnership working between Community 1st Oldham, Oldham Primary Care Trust and Oldham Council and will see new ‘health and wellbeing’ community facilities developed in Royton, Werneth, Crompton, Saddleworth area, Fitton Hill and Hathershaw area.
Site clearance works are also currently taking place to clear the old council depot site on Wellington Street in Chadderton getting it ready for construction works to start in the next few months on the Oldham Council led Chadderton Health and Wellbeing Centre which will include a 25 metre swimming pool, a gym and dance / aerobics studio and a new library with access to bookable community meeting rooms.
Executive Director for Adult and Community Services Veronica Jackson said: “We’re delighted to win this award, which shows how Oldham is leading the way nationally in the transformation of health and well being services. The LIFT partnership is already providing excellent facilities across the borough, with many more developments planned, all of which will ultimately benefit the people of Oldham.”
Oldham beat off stiff competition from 44 other national LIFT companies to be shortlisted in the category and to win the sought after award. This is a great acknowledgement for Oldham and the commitment to inward investment and improving health and wellbeing.
Mike Dwan, Director of Community 1st Oldham said “We’re delighted with the success and strength of the LIFT partnership in Oldham and the national recognition for all the hard work that’s taken place to get this far. We look forward to the partnership continuing to grow from strength to strength”
Show Archive Items
