Kendal Leisure Centre: shifting care closer to home

A partnership between University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and GLL has created a Community Health and Wellbeing Hub at Kendal Leisure Centre. The model helps shift care closer to home, supporting people to stay well, manage conditions earlier, and avoid unnecessary hospital treatment.

The hub brings together NHS services, physical activity and community support in one place. People can access help through a range of routes, including self-referral, and are supported through tailored programmes such as exercise for back pain and osteoarthritis. This makes it easier for people to get the right support early, before their condition worsens.

This approach improves outcomes by helping people take control of their health and build confidence in managing long-term conditions. It focuses on prevention, self-management and peer support, which also improves mental wellbeing and reduces isolation.

The model is already reducing pressure on NHS services by supporting people to avoid or delay surgery and lowering demand for primary care. It also enables NHS teams to signpost patients to community-based support that keeps them active and independent for longer.

Targeted programmes within the hub are helping divert patients away from routine hospital procedures, showing how earlier intervention and community-based care can improve patient outcomes while reducing system demand. 

By linking NHS and community pathways, the hub supports a more preventative model of care. It helps people stay well for longer, builds healthier communities, and ensures hospital services are used when they are most needed