On Monday 18th March, staff and students from AECC University College opened the doors to its health and support pop-up event at the Boscombe Arts Depot in Boscombe High Street, at 616-622 Christchurch Road, opposite Costa Coffee.  The event is aimed at providing free multidisciplinary health and support services all under one roof.  Running over two weeks from 18-28 March, already many members of the local community have received free NHS health checks, ultrasound tests, spoken to over 10 partnership organizations at their stalls and joined in with the free health sessions, including a lively Community Movers movement session.

Open to all, this is the first event of its type organized by the AECC UC and includes free mental, physical, social care, lifestyle and exercise health support for all the local community to access.

The pop-up event offers a range of free health and support services, including both practical health tests as well as interactive sessions.  The services and information at the pop-up event are being provided by the AECC UC together with local partners including Help & Care, BEAF Arts Co, CAN (Community Action Network), Healthwatch and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, to name just a few.

The range of free practical health tests on offer at the event include musculoskeletal triage, a service to assess muscle or joint problems and signpost visitors to the most appropriate treatment, including an on-site diagnostic ultrasound test and self-help advice.  There are also free foot health checks, NHS health checks (for those aged 40-74), blood pressure checks, a simulation area and a community support hub. 

Alongside the practical health checks, visitors are encouraged to attend a range of free sessions, including a music and wellbeing session from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Smoking in Pregnancy advice from a midwifery team, everyday fitness sessions, breastfeeding support coffee mornings, creative workshops, stress awareness and prevention sessions, diet and healthy eating sessions, back pain myth busting interactive sessions and lots more.

Daniel Heritage, Chiropractic Clinic Lead at AECC University College, commented: “We are delighted to be supporting our local community with this two-week initiative.

“At AECC University College, we offer a range of clinics to support our local community. Being based on Boscombe high street for these two weeks will allow us to support even more members of the community, offering free health and support services.

“This pop-up aims to act as a ‘one-stop shop’ to allow people to access health and support advice all under one roof. We are aware that poor health can impact significantly on people’s work and can therefore have major impacts on local economic growth and productivity.

“We look forward to welcoming as many people as possible to this exciting two-week pop-up event.” 

Dr. Neil Langridge, Director of Clinical and Rehabilitation Services at AECC UC, continued: “This event aims to bring health care directly into the community that it is designed to serve. It brings a combination of wellness, activity, and mental and physical wellbeing, supported by a multidisciplinary team and supported by our students. 

“Population-based health care is commonly based on the premise that the health care system knows what’s best for the population. This event is flipping the narrative to ensure that the population has healthcare brought to them. That’s really exciting.” 

The event, which aims to cater for individuals and families who may not typically engage in healthcare services, has been funded by the Regional Innovation Fund (RIF). RIF funding focuses on knowledge exchange activities that support economic growth and productivity, addressing local and regional priorities. 

Members of the public are invited to drop-in from 10am – 4pm during the health and support pop-up event. A daily timetable of services and events is published on the AECC UC website, and pre-booking is also available. Pre-booking options will be available, or individuals can simply turn up on the day. 

The AECC UC Health and Support Pop-Up Event takes place from 18th-28th March at the Boscombe Arts Depot (B.A.D.), a vibrant arts venue and community pop-up space situated within the pedestrian zone opposite Costa Coffee, at 616-622 Christchurch Rd, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH1 4BP.

Those interested in attending can register their interest via the Eventbrite page here: https://bit.ly/3TbVNdg . 

Here is a link to a timetable of events from 18th to 28th March