They should rename this anonymous looking building on the edge of Soho Square 'The Soho Feel Better Centre'. It’s officially called The Soho Centre for Health & Care and its activities should make Soho folk very proud. It is staffed by a team of dedicated nurses and medical practitioners who provide primary care services that many believe are unmatched anywhere in the capital.
Says Marina Tempia, Soho and West End Locality Manager "Our success is thanks to our staff who apply themselves to preventative and advisory services and to primary care medicine and are keen and willing to work in different ways, to extend their skills and to provide new services in response to public demand." The centre has launched initiatives that most GPs simply don’t have the time or resources for.
Up to 150 people use the Walk-In Centre each day, seeking advice and treatment from the Centre’s pool of ten highly skilled practitioners. The Men’s Health Clinic launched by former local hero Aldo Williams who has since become a visiting lecturer on Men’s Health at Leicester’s De Montfort University, continues to thrive under Iowa born Nursing Practitioner Ken Moberg.
"People know they can come in and talk to us about really personal issues that they might be reluctant to discuss with their GPs" he said. "Somehow our training and experience as nurses help people feel more relaxed and more willing to open up one-to-one." That reluctance to seek medical help is a particular problem for men. "Women in general are more likely to seek medical advice and to discuss it with their circle of friends," said Ken Moberg. "Men however are inclined to keep such things to themselves and sometimes see attending a GP as a sign of weakness. As a result, men are far more likely to die prematurely from cancers and heart disease. For similar reasons, men from 15 to 24 are also about three times more likely to commit suicide than women."
So to encourage men to take more care of themselves, the Walk-in Centre now runs a Thursday Men’s Health Clinic with half-hourly appointments from 5pm to 7pm. They cover everything from HIV/AIDS advice and hepatitis B vaccinations, to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels. In 2005, the Walk-In Centre will start yet another initiative when Ken Moburg will head up Stop Smoking sessions. Such enterprises will no doubt be closely watched by health practitioners around the country. Once again, it's Soho that’s leading the way and we should all feel good about that.
For more information contact the Walk-in Centre on 020 7534 6500