Press Release

Minerva: A new concept in healthcare

17th February 2009

The ground-breaking Minerva Health Centre is set to open its doors, offering a state-of-the-art facility for treating long-term conditions at the heart of the community.

Originally envisaged as a diabetes centre, the vision quickly grew to include facilities for treating other long-term conditions, with a partnership between Preston North End, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the NHS.

The first facility of its kind in the country, the Minerva Health Centre covers more than 2,000sq m and is located on two floors in Preston North End's new Invincibles Pavilion. It will bring health services and clinics together which have historically been located across Preston, in a single purpose built facility that puts the patients at the centre of care.

Services to be offered to people by clinicians at the Minerva Centre will include retinal screening, therapy, phlebotomy services (taking blood), diabetes care, nutritional advice, a chronic fatigue service, rheumatology, respiratory care, heart care, physiotherapy/occupational therapy and treatment reviews.

On the ground floor there will also be a Lifestyle Centre and café, which will be open to all the community, not just patients.

Peter Kenyon, chairman of NHS Central Lancashire, said: "NHS Central Lancashire is at the forefront of modern healthcare, bringing health services, clinics and partnerships that have been historically located across Preston together under one roof.

"The Minerva Health Centre, a flagship facility for Preston and the first of its kind in the UK, sets the precedent for meeting the needs of patients with long-term conditions providing both high quality and relevant services which are accessible locally.

"The development of the centre has been based on a great partnership between NHS Central Lancashire, the NWDA and Preston North End who also recognise the need to bring healthcare where it is most needed into the community."

It is envisaged that once operational, 800 patients per week will attend the centre and that approximately 130 staff will work out of the Minerva Health Centre.

There will also be a Lifestyle Centre within Minerva, which will be a focal point for people to find out more about the steps they can take to improve their health from other agencies including Age Concern, Diabetes UK and Preston Carers Centre. A range of advice from access to leaflets and computers with electronic information, to one-to-one chats about healthcare will be available.

Joe Rafferty, NHS Central Lancashire chief executive, said: "The Minerva Health Centre will affect people's lives in many different ways, from making sure people with long-term illnesses get the treatment they need on a regular basis at an easily-accessible venue, to helping to prevent further ill health in the future by providing information and advice with the help of our partners.

"Modern healthcare is about more than just treating people once they become ill; it's about equipping people with the knowledge and support they need to help safeguard their health for years to come.

"The Minerva Health Centre gives us a great opportunity to do this – and we're proud that NHS Central Lancashire is leading the way in making it happen."

The Minerva Health Centre also benefits from an additional third of the building funded by a grant from the North West Regional Development Agency. This third of the building is to be used to improve the quality of life of people through partners such as the Stop Smoking Service, Lancashire Drug & Alcohol Action Team (LDAAT), Lancashire Constabulary and the Condition Management Programme.

Steven Broomhead, NWDA Chief Executive, said: "Creating better levels of health is crucial to improving quality of life in the Northwest, one of the NWDA's key priorities.

"Through creating a state-of-the-art facility to deliver a wide range of vital health services, this centre will provide a valuable service to the local community and the NWDA is pleased to provide its support."