Clinical Commssionioning Group and Wyre Forest District Council are funding the new Health and Wellbeing Buddy Service which is being launched this week at Medical Centres in the Wyre Forest.

The aim is to promote, sustain and improve the health and wellbeing of the Wyre Forest Community. You will be refered by your doctor and be offered a 30min appointment at the surgery with a trained buddy volunteer. This volunteer will discuss with you such things as lifestyle, loneliness and isolation, housing, finances, affordable heating, social and community networks as well as volunteering. All areas to help with a persons sense of wellbeing. Katrina Willetts who heads up this service said "we will be taking an holistic approach to a persons health and wellbeing, and trust it will bring improvement to a persons life".

The service is being launched this week at 4 surgeries and we hope to add more in the coming months accross the Wyre Forest area. The surgeries offering this service from this week are:

Aylmer Lodge, Northumberland House and Church Street in Kidderminster and also York Street in Stourport.

If you are a patient at these surgeries and feel the service may be able to help you, please in the first instance, speak to your doctor. If you would like to see this service introduced at your surgery within the Wyre Forest then either make this request at your surgery or contact:

Katrina Willetts at Citizens Advice Tel:01562 60194 or by email at: healthandwellbeing@wyreforestcab.cabnet.org.uk