Healthcare workers head out on the road to bring services to all areas of Blackburn with Darwen

The NHS is always looking at ways it can increase access for all communities and one group of healthcare professionals has headed out on the road to reach different parts of the local population.    ‌

In a joint venture between Blackburn with Darwen GP Federation (local primary care) and Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Health and Wellbeing Team, they have invested in an outreach van to target those people in the community who find it difficult to use or don’t often engage with traditional health services.

So far, the van has been used to provide flu and COVID vaccinations across both East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, to offer NHS Health Checks in hard-to-reach populations, undertake a child nasal flu catch-up campaign, and most recently at venues such as football stadiums and Blackburn bus station to offer prostate cancer screening conversations and finger prick PSA tests for eligible men over 50.

The GP Federation’s clinical director and population health lead, Dr Ridwaan Ahmed, said: “We recognised that improving the health of the population needs a combined health and care approach. Alongside the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Team, we share a common ambition to reduce inequalities and reach people who are least likely to engage with traditional services.

“The initial thinking was that too many people at the highest risk of preventable illness are not accessing care through conventional routes. A mobile unit allows us to take healthcare into neighbourhoods rather than expecting people to navigate appointments, transport and time off work.

“The biggest benefit is improved access. The van enables opportunistic screening and health checks in areas with a high footfall, trusted community settings, helping us identify risk earlier and supporting people to receive care sooner.”

The reaction towards the van from the communities it has visited so far has been extremely positive. People value the convenience of a walk-in service delivered locally and informally.

The team have seen strong engagement from groups who are traditionally under-represented in screening and prevention programmes, and many people have said they would not have come forward if the service had only been offered through GP practices or clinics. The van is seen as part of the wider community offer rather than just a clinical service.

The recently-announced joint NHS–local authority model provides a strong blueprint for population health delivery. It demonstrates how partners in communities like Blackburn with Darwen can pool resources and expertise to improve access and tackle health inequalities in a practical way.

As health systems move towards more neighbourhood-based and preventative care, mobile outreach offers a flexible, scalable approach that can be adapted for different communities and health priorities across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Dr Ahmed continued: “I can see more areas adopting this approach to population health. The main difference is that the model is proactive rather than reactive. Instead of waiting for people to present with problems, staff are identifying risk earlier and supporting people into care. We can bring a broader, more holistic approach to conversations about health, lifestyle and support services.

“Staff find the work highly rewarding. They are able to spend more time with individuals, have meaningful conversations about prevention and see the impact of their work directly in the communities they serve.”

Councillor Damian Talbot, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for Housing and Public Health, said: “This is a fantastic joint venture with our healthcare providers and shows the importance of collaborative working and the results that can be achieved.

“By bringing services direct into the heart of our communities we can help remove some traditional barriers to accessing healthcare such as coordinating appointments with time of work.

“It also enables more proactive approaches to healthcare by offering screening conversations which put simply could save a life.”    ‌