A NEW ‘Health Hub’ has officially opened in Festival Place offering Covid vaccinations and health advice.

The centre has taken over an empty unit in the shopping centre previously occupied by Laura Ashley, in Queen Anne’s Walk.

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Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Councillor Paul Miller, cut the ribbon to declare the new facility officially open.

He said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for our population and it’s a very convenient location for not only having a Covid vaccination but also other services such as accessing medical records.

“This will become part of the long-term facilities in Festival Place.”

As well as offering the Covid vaccination, residents can also use the hub for other health related services such as group consultations and health reviews

Dr Tim Cooper, a Hampshire GP and clinical director at the Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “It’s really exciting for us because it represents a different way for people to access health care.”

The CCG is running the hub to support 15 GP surgeries in north Hampshire.

Dr Cooper said: “It might be someone with a new diagnosis for Type 2 diabetes comes along as part of a group or it could be support for young mums with feeding advice.”

He added: “This is a great opportunity for us to get involved in the local community and make health services more convenient to the people living in Basingstoke.

“We are currently using the new facility to provide Covid vaccinations, however we are aiming to grow the number of services we run from the Health Hub, building it into a centre which gives the local community the help they need most at a place that’s convenient to them.

“We really think that this ‘healthcare on the high street’ model could make it easier for more people to get the help they need and support patients to think differently about how they access healthcare. We’re keen to try it out and see if it can add to the current landscape of healthcare in Basingstoke.”

Those who book a Covid vaccine at the hub will benefit from free parking in Festival Place.

Neil Churchill, centre director at Festival Place, said: “We take great pride in supporting our Basingstoke community and know how important it is for people to get easy access to health services.

“We are delighted to be able to help and provide an accessible space here at Festival Place.”

The Health Hub will be open seven days a week, between 11am and 5pm.

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