The Knowle West Health Park

The Park is on a large site in Knowle West. There is scope for further development (although not sufficient room for a hospital). At the moment the Park contains the following:

The William Budd Health Centre

An NHS Walk In Centre

A Healthy Living Centre

A Dialysis Unit which is being run by a private company.

The Walk In Centre and Healthy Living Centre are housed in the same building. There is plenty of space inside the building which includes a nice airy restaurant with tables and easy chairs.

We had a very brief look into the William Budd Health Centre and spoke with one or two of the staff. They all seem to regard the building as already being too small – it was opened about 2 years ago! It is understood, however, that there is room to expand the building.

The Walk In Centre has been covered in a parallel article in this edition of the Med Chi website.

We were shown around, briefly, by Mark Baker – the manager of the Healthy Living Centre. It seems that the centre is being funded through the New Opportunities Fund. The services offered include the following range of counselling services – all free.

Advice and advocacy services. These include the following:

a) The Avon and Bristol Law Centre. This provides legal advice on employment and discrimination issues.

b) The Bristol Debt Advice Centre. This provides free advice services for people with financial problems.

c) Bristol Mediation providing advice and information about dealing with neighbour disputes and conflicts.

d) The South Bristol Advice Service. This provides a wide-range of general and specialist money advice and welfare rights services. Advice is available on welfare benefits, employment, education, housing and consumer issues.

Sessions are starting for people wishing to stop smoking. Additionally, there is to be a disability information and advice service – providing a specialist service for disabled people living in Knowle West.

A range of counselling services is provided. These include those given below:

Bristol Cancer Help Service. This is for people with cancer, their families and friends who often feel shocked, frightened and confused.

Drugs. KWADS (Knowle West Against Drugs) offers counselling, advice and information to raise awareness and reduce the harm that alcohol and drugs can cause.

Young people. An "off the record" service is available for young people aged 13 to 25. People are invited to talk about any difficulties occurring at home, at school, or work. The problems covered include unwanted pregnancy, contraception, safer sex, money problems, abuse, loneliness, depression and eating disorders.

Relationship problems. Relate Avon offers counselling for individuals and couples who are facing relationship difficulties, want to separate, or who have already separated.

Other counselling services.

Wessex Counselling Service offers both short-term and longer-term counselling sessions for people experiencing feelings of sadness, anxiety and depression.

Services for women. One to one counselling with a female counsellor is provided – giving an opportunity to talk through issues of concern including relationship difficulties, self-harm, abuse and low self-esteem.

The Knowle West Healthy Living Centre provides a range of complementary therapies which are free to everyone living in Knowle West. It is said that each therapy has different benefits. The following particular therapies are covered:

Dance Movement Therapy. This is founded on the principle that our movements reflect the way we think and feel. Dance movement therapy is claimed to help the person concerned to manage their emotions and relationships as well as their energy and physical mobility.

Ear acupuncture. Acupuncture is said to be a great way to relax –helping sleep and improving energy levels. It is also widely used for people with addictions and is said to be able to reduce the cravings for drugs, alcohol, smoking or anything else.

Shiatsu. This is said to be good for relieving stress, tension, anxiety, depression etc. The therapist applies gentle pressure to points in the body to balance energy and promote healing.

Aromatherapy. Essential plant oils with healing properties are diluted in a carrier oil and massaged into the body. This is said to promote relaxation and reduce stress

Massage. Massage can be used on parts of the body or the whole body and it is claimed to be a "great way of relaxing muscle tension, ache and pain and improving circulation…" Indian head massage is also available.

Reflexology. This is claimed to help the body to achieve a state of balance and good health by applying gentle pressure with thumbs and fingers – stimulating the pressure points on the feet.

General relaxation. A weekly drop-in session to learn how to calm the mind and relax the body using simple exercises is organised.

The literature states that all therapists are fully qualified and insured. They are members of a professional body and work to their code of conduct.

Finally

There is no doubt that the Health Park is providing services which are appreciated by a large number of people in the Knowle West area. The whole project is new and a number of new initiatives are planned. There is much enthusiasm amongst the staff for what is being done. One downside, however, is that a number of cars in the Health Park car park have been vandalised recently. The car park is now patrolled and hopefully the problem will become less.

RLH