Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Primary Care Trust invited the Patients' Council central office to develop a branch within the Blackburn with Darwen area. Part of the inception was to work with the local group on the proposed development of the New Health Centre. Once this group was established they aimed to engage, review and forward recommendations to the Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Primary Care Trust Board of its findings.

A consultation on the new health centre started on the 21st February 2008 and ended on 20th May 2008. The consultation period was 13 weeks in total and the process encompassed a range of different approaches to address the most appropriate ways to reach a wide range of stakeholders during the consultation. The Patients' Council engaged the support of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council to engage with local groups. The council invited local groups from the Montague area to become involved in the consultation process. During the consultation the Patients' Council members held a number of discussions locally with over 400 people between the 1^st April and 19^th May 08 detailed below. Members of the public whom had wished to join in the discussions around the proposals for developing new services within a new centre.

Members of the Patients’ Council obtained appropriate access to the architects, estates management and development project team of the Primary Care Trust to ensure Patients' Council members were able to obtain the information requested to allow members to make their recommendations to Blackburn with Darwen PCT. For a copy of the recommendations report please go to our reports section.

The Patients' Council also produced a short video promoting the benefits and concerns about the proposed changes. Click here to view this short video.