Supporting Islamic community health and wellbeing
East Basildon PCN supports the health and wellbeing of the Islamic community in Basildon at the mosque of the South Essex Islamic Trust.
Located on High Road, Basildon SS16 4ND, the South Essex Islamic Trust mosque is the location of hosted events for the community.
The events were being held by members of staff representing East Basildon PCN along with special medical consultants who were invited to offer their consultancy free for members of the community.
The first event
Several people were seen at he first event by the staff of East Basildon PCN which have included a GP, a Healthcare Assistant, a GP Assistant and a Social Prescriber who set up a small testing space inside the mosque.
Due to the health conditions discovered at this event, the community appreciated the free support from the PCN and welcomed any future events held at the mosque.
The second event
Along with supporting staff at the second event, Dermatology Consultant Doctor Tahir Iqbal was invited to offer skin care consultations and advice to members of the community.
This event proved to be welcomed and appreciated for patients who typically expect a long waiting time to be seen by a dermatologist.
Privacy screens were on site if patients required more privacy, as pictured below.
List of events
Below are a list of the events held at the mosque, which we will continue to update as events are rolled out.
Event 1 – Blood pressure
The first event focused on blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass index.
This event took place on Thursday, the 4th of January 2024 between 3pm and 5pm, which was a success.
Event 2 – Skin care
The second event focused on skin care and skin related conditions.
This event took place on Saturday, the 2nd of March 2024 between 2:30pm and 5pm, which was also a success.
Purpose of the events
The first healthcare event was arranged to support the health and wellbeing of the community by offering free healthcare consultations that offered the following checks:
- blood pressure (BP)
- blood glucose (BM)
- body mass index (BMI)
Furthermore, the second event was used to offer the community skin care advise for any potential skin related issues they wished to address to the Dermatology Consultant, Dr Tahir Iqbal.
- skin care advise
Desired outcome – 1st event
Regarding the first event, this consultation allowed for patients to determine if they should be referred to their local GP practice if there were health concerns raised such as:
- diabetes
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- low blood pressure (hypotension)
- kidney disease
Desired outcome – 2nd event
Regarding the second event, this consultation allowed for patients to determine if they needed to be referred for any treatments and seen by their GP to manage their skin conditions.
Skin conditions discussed were those such as:
- Psoriasis
- Acne
- Ichthyosis
- Atopic Dermatitis
Again, due to the typically long waiting times to be seen by a dermatologist, this event was received well by the community.
Smoking cessation
The Integrated Neighbourhood Team of East Basildon PCN is also on a mission to help people stop smoking for a healthier lifestyle.
Patients were asked if they were smokers to determine if this was a contributor to their health conditions.
Quit smoking today to improve your health and save money.
Get the help you need and help yourself.
Click here to learn more about smoking cessation and to get help to quit smoking.
Successful outcomes
At the first event, there were 4 notable instances proving that such an event can be useful for the community.
Undiagnosed hypertension
A couple of people attending the event were fortunate to be tested as results revealed they had undiagnosed hypertension (high blood pressure).
High blood sugars
A couple of people visiting the mosque for the health check event found out that they had high blood sugars.
Stomach pain
One person shared they they were experiencing uncomfortable stomach pains and they were not registered to a GP practice. They were provided details to where they could register so they could be offered further healthcare services.
Diabetes
One person was overweight and after carrying out tests confirmed they had diabetes and hypertension. They were offered a Bengali leaflet online that would help them to understand the topics of hypertension and diabetes and were referred to a weight management programme to gain control of their weight and overall health and wellbeing.
Click here to self-refer to a weight management programme.
Skin care
In addition, the second event held at the mosque focused on skin care consultations and advise. The issues posed to the consultant ranged from skin tags to severe eczema.
Those seen for their skin conditions were given information and advice regarding if referral or treatment was necessary and referred to their GP with treatment advice accordingly.
GP practices involved
The GP practices included in the Primary Care Network of East Basildon are:
- Felmores Medical Centre
- Long Riding Surgery
- Aryan Medical Centre
- Hoover Drive Branch Surgery
- Matching Green Surgery
- Dr Sims & Partners
Next event information
Location: South Essex Islamic Trust
Address: High Road, Basildon SS16 4ND
Date: To be confirmed
Time: To be confirmed
Google Maps – Event Directions
Click here to get directions to the event on Google Maps
Future events
As these events were a success, East Basildon PCN will be looking to carry out more like these in the near future.
Continue to check our website to find out about any future events that we consider opportunistic health check events that are free for members of the community.
Consequently, there will also be other opportunistic health check events that will be held at various locations.
Click here to learn more about any new opportunistic health check events at other locations.
