Communities in Lancashire and South Cumbria to benefit from neighbourhood health centres on their doorstep

Thousands of patients across Lancashire and South Cumbria will benefit from improved healthcare on their doorstep, as the government rolls out the first 27 neighbourhood health centres – bringing more services into the community, with three named in the region.

Once completed, patients will immediately be able to access a greater range of health services from these centres - all under one roof and closer to their homes - including include urgent treatment, GP and pharmacy services.

In time, centres will also include wider services like debt advice, employment and family support and other voluntary sector support and will be open 12 hours a day, six days a week. 

The Lancashire and South Cumbria centres named as part of the announcement are Alfred Barrow Health Centre in Barrow-in-Furness, Fleetwood Health and Wellbeing Centre, and Barbara Castle Way Health Centre in Blackburn.

• The Alfred Barrow Health Centre is currently used to deliver primary care and community services provided by three busy GP practices with growing patient lists and limited space. The space is also currently shared by the local community trusts delivering community care, as well as BAE Systems. The £7.7m investment pledged will support extensive repurposing of underutilised areas in addition to the creation of additional clinical space through the reconfiguration of the currently underused areas that will allow for the future delivery of minor operations on site as well as extended primary care and community services.
• Fleetwood Health and Wellbeing Centre already contains 21 GP consultancy rooms, 2 GP treatment rooms, mental health services, adult social care services, children services, an urgent treatment centre treating minor injuries and a pharmacy. The investment of £125,000 will be used to create new clinical rooms on the first floor.
• Barbara Castle Way Health Centre in Blackburn already hosts three GP practices, physiotherapy, dental, podiatry and outpatients, delivering around 48,000 extra appointments per year. Further investment pledged of just over £1.5m will transform a significant part of the first floor as well as the ground floor, providing the right environment for mental health, wellbeing,  health promotion and a reconfiguration and realignment of some community services, with additional services planned.

The 27 centres announced nationally are all based in areas with higher levels of deprivation. All 27 set to be fully open by 2027 and are the first of 50 neighbourhood health centres backed by a total of £200 million in government investment to upgrade existing buildings. In total the government has pledged to open 250 by 2036, with the first 120 open by 2030.

Neighbourhood health services will benefit patients by providing end-to-end care and tailored support, looking beyond the condition at wider causes of health issues to the specific individual, helping avoid unnecessary trips to hospital, prevent complications and end the frustration of being passed around the system. This will have particular benefits for people with complex conditions, such as those at the end of their lives. 

A range of services under one roof will mean more conditions can be treated swiftly locally - allowing people to talk through their health conditions as well as their lifestyle and quality of life and any other relevant contributing factors, enabling a rapid referral to the appropriate care and support where this is needed.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said: “This government is transforming healthcare, so the NHS works around the lives of patients – not vice versa.

“We’re rolling out neighbourhood health centres across the country by repurposing and improving local buildings, first targeting the communities that need them most. These one-stop-shops will help end the maze of referrals and repeated conversations, treating not just poor health but the causes of it too.

“As we rebuild our NHS, our mission is to shift more healthcare into the community, while delivering easier access to care, improved outcomes for patients and better value for money for the taxpayer.”

Stephen Sandford, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB’s strategic lead for neighbourhood health, said: “The shift from hospital to community healthcare, which is part of the Government’s 10-Year Plan, will reduce pressure on hospitals and help to cut waiting lists, while improving access to healthcare where people live.

“The whole aim is to make it easier for people to access more joined up care, closer to home, and avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital.

“This first wave of projects to be announced is a big step addressing health inequalities and improving outcomes for communities in areas that have the greatest need.”