Northumbria Healthcare's special double-decker bus roadshow providing interactive healthcare sessions to rural Northumberland patients

Northumbria Healthcare’s Enhanced Care for Older People (EnCOP) team hosted a drop-in session aboard MELISSA – a specially designed double-decker bus committed to delivering healthcare, education and training across the North East and North Cumbria regions.

The event in the Haltwhistle area marked the first stop in the team’s roadshow. They will be at the Living and Ageing Well event on Wednesday, March 6 at Berwick Infirmary and Alnwick Infirmary.

The event will be at Berwick from 9.30am to 11.30am before travelling to Alnwick, where they will be set up from 1pm to 3pm.

The session in the Haltwhistle area, attended by a range of Northumbria Healthcare teams specialising in medicines, carer support, keeping active and frailty, aimed to educate and empower older patients by providing some valuable tools for effective care management.

With more than 50 attendees, it included organisations such as Age UK and Northumberland Domestic Abuse Services.

Clare Collins, pharmacy technician and EnCOP community champion, said: “The MELISSA drop-in session tour underscores the commitment of Northumbria Healthcare to engage directly with communities, working in partnership with other organisations to provide proactive healthcare management.”

MELISSA – a collaborative effort between the North East Simulation Network, I Can Prevent Delirium, NHSE Education North East Faculty of Patient Safety and the Find Your Place in the North East and North Cumbria campaign – serves as a mobile hub for community-focused healthcare initiatives.