Following the announcement on Friday 30th September 2022 by The Health & Wellness Hub that they were closing their Mobility Hubs in both Motherwell and Coatbridge on Friday 28th October 2022, Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) has been trying to secure funding to continue the service in some form.

The Health & Wellness Hub took over the service from Town Centre Initiatives (TCI) which was in transition and could no longer manage the Shopmobility service. TCI transferred £175,000 to the Health and Wellness Hub through Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire to deliver the Shopmobility service for 18 months. During COVID lockdowns, the Health and Wellness Hub adapted the service to provide a range of health and other support to service users in their hubs. Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire Community Solutions Programme, which is hosted and supported by VANL, approved a £50,000 investment in the service to help The Health and Wellness Hub develop a more holistic delivery model, which led to the creation of the Mobility Hubs.

The Health and Wellness Hub were committed to sustaining and developing the service but were unable to find sufficient funds to do so beyond October 2022.

With no prior notification of their intention to close the Mobility Hubs in October, VANL were not in a position to help the Health and Wellness Hub secure additional funding or find alternative arrangements for delivery of the service before closure. As a temporary measure, VANL has offered to arrange for the equipment to be safely stored until additional funding can be secured and a new service developed. Any new service will build on the existing, more holistic approach to support peoples’ health and wellbeing, whilst focusing on improving people’s access to services and reducing the isolation people may feel by not being able to engage with their community.

It is hoped that additional funding for the new service will be secured by March 2023, with the new service being launched in April 2023. This will allow for any new providers to be identified and for the equipment that is being stored to be redistributed as quickly as possible.

VANL recognises the serious impact that the withdrawal of this valued and vital service will have on current users and we are fully committed to working with our colleagues in Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire and community and voluntary sector to find a solution in the medium term.

For more information please contact Thomas Moan, Senior Manager Community Solutions, Thomas.Moan@vanl.co.uk