Cheshire West Integrated Care Partnership (CWICP) is in the process of establishing nine Care Communities across the borough, including in the Frodsham area.

Integrated Care Communities involve an informal gathering of local health and care workers, voluntary organisations, Healthwatch groups, interested individuals and representatives from the local authority, who will work with communities to deliver better healthcare outcomes for residents.

Their aim is to provide "five more healthy years for the people of Cheshire West," focusing on illness prevention and early intervention, reducing health inequalities and avoidable mortality, and helping people to manage their own conditions.

The Helsby and Frodsham Care Community encompasses Frodsham, Helsby and Sandstone ward, including the villages of Kingsley, Alvanley, Manley, Hapsford and Dunham-on-the-Hill.

Graham Witter has been appointed as the local Care Community Development Manager, and Tony Mayer as Helsby and Frodsham's Integrated Care Partnership Sponsor.

The area's Lead Clinician is Dr Ben Richardson of The Knoll Surgery, who will work to champion community priorities within the borough's wider healthcare provision.

Elected ward councillors will also be invited to get involved with the Care Community Steering Groups to help identify the key aims for their community.

Being one of the smaller Care Communities, Helsby and Frodsham will be represented by a single councillor, who will be chosen in the coming weeks.

At a meeting of Cheshire West's Health and Wellbeing Board last week, Managing Director of CWICP Alison Lee said: "We want to keep these as advisory groups to start with: they're not going to be tied up in governance.

"It's really about local people getting round the table and understanding each other's business: learning about the local authority, learning about what GPs can do, learning about the voluntary sector and then identifying a few priorities that are going to make a difference for their communities."

Council Leader and Cabinet member for Poverty and Wellbeing, Louise Gittins, added: "I look forward to working with the Care Communities over the coming year and years to see how they work and how they can make a difference at a local level."