The first community support initiative of its kind in the UK, jointly sponsored by Kent County Council, the Maidstone Gateway offers residents convenient physical access to frontline customer advisers from a wide range of public services in a modern, informal and friendly setting.
A broad selection of services are provided by the Council’s staff, plus other agencies such as Citizens Advice. The Water Wellpoint kiosk has been a successful part of the Gateway in Maidstone since it was launched in January 2009.
The Water Wellpoint is a unique interactive health kiosk that allows individuals to self-test themselves at work using six key indicators of their general health. The vital signs include weight, hydration quota, body mass index, body fat content, heart rate and blood pressure and can be measured simply and accurately in around five minutes.
A printout of results is provided, showing how an individual compares with accepted medical standards, giving users a quick and easy early warning system for potential problems, as well as a way to highlight areas they can work on to improve their personal health and well-being.
With the Gateway open throughout the week, late on Thursday evenings and on Saturday mornings, there’s plenty of opportunities for individuals to measure their health vital signs as Water Wellpoint MD Ben McGannan explained: “We’ve had an overwhelming response from Maidstone residents, with more than 970 checks completed since January 2009.
“The Wellpoint kiosk provided a valuable insight into their current health and well-being, with some interesting results. The blood pressure tests taken by men and women show that they are below the comparable national average in Maidstone. In contrast, it appears tested men from the region are above the national average weight compared to women who fall below. However, the tests taken by women show a body fat content above the national average, while tests by men were below. Overall, the results showed that Maidstone women are slightly less dehydrated than the comparable national average.
“The Maidstone Gateway is a fantastic initiative, providing local residents with easy access to a range of services. It’s particularly encouraging to see that Maidstone Borough Council has such a forward-thinking approach to helping people take control of their health and well-being by providing access to health checks through our Water Wellpoint Kiosk. The number of individuals who have already used the kiosk for their own health check proves that people are interested in taking an active role in their well-being. Hopefully, the success of this initiative will encourage more residents to take steps to enhance their health and drink more fluids.”
“The Water Wellpoint is an excellent machine that delivers immediate value to our own staff and customers of the Gateway,” said Paul Taylor of Maidstone Borough Council. “Not only does it support Maidstone Borough Council’s ‘Well-being year’, it also empowers the community to make informed decisions about their health.”
Source: Water for Work and Home
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