Middlesbrough has recently seen the launch of the Live Well Centre – a new approach in offering health and wellbeing services to local residents. The centre is based on a unique healthcare model, the first of its kind in the UK, which sees a range of health and wellbeing services brought together under one roof in the town centre’s Dundas Shopping Centre.
Bringing together services to tackle the region’s most prevalent issues gives residents a single point of support and a powerful starting point to make positive changes.
We were given the opportunity to create the brand identity and develop the marketing strategy to raise awareness and signpost local residents to the services they can access, and we’re thrilled to have been a part of developing this unique new brand. As part of the brand identity, services were grouped into three categories: Think Well, Energise Well and Quit Well. Think Well includes mental health and wellbeing services, advice on debt, housing and unemployment and self-care skills. Energise Well encompasses health and fitness – there will be a community gym, fitness classes, advice on healthy eating and cookery lessons available. Quit Well supports people who want to give up alcohol, smoking or substance misuse.
We’ve recorded some impressive results so far just a month after launch, generating substantial interest in the lead-up to the Live Well Centre’s launch. This new approach to healthcare shows Middlesbrough Council’s proactive approach and its commitment to improving the lives of residents. As well as empowering local residents to take control of their health and wellbeing, fringe benefits are that the Live Well Centre has the ability to reduce long-term health conditions in the region, it will create jobs and footfall will increase in the town centre.
There’s collaboration with local services to offer support and the venture has also revived a previously disused building in the town centre – Dundas House, which is accessed through Dundas Shopping Centre.
The new model of delivering health and wellbeing services is a first for the country and with a dedicated team coupled with our strategic knowledge, it is due to draw in thousands of service users. It’s hoped the forward-thinking approach will reduce the pressure on local NHS services and will soon become a model of good practice for other regions.