Progress being made on trailblazing Health and Wellbeing Hub in Barnsley town centre

The Health and Wellbeing Hub will transform parts of the Alhambra Shopping Centre, to provide a variety of health and wellbeing services in one convenient town centre location. It will expand the services available at the centre, alongside the retail and leisure businesses.

Barnsley Council announced, in March 2024, that they will work with Barnsley Hospital, Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL), South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYFT), and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to bring services together in the hub. It's estimated more than 100,000 visits a year could be made to the Alhambra instead of Barnsley Hospital, and BPL's offer is expected to attract a further 150,000 visitors a year.

The recommendations agreed in the report include authorising Barnsley Council’s Executive Director of Growth and Sustainability, along with the Director of Finance and project team, to:

• develop and submit a full business case to SYMCA
• develop and submit funding bids to other public bodies
• negotiate any external grant agreements and funding agreements.

Barnsley Council has appointed Masterplanners for the Health and Wellbeing Hub. Starting in early September, and working for 12 weeks, the Masterplanners will talk to key partners such as Barnsley Hospital, BPL, and SWYFT, to understand their needs, wants and aspirations for the hub. They’ll come up with ideas on how services can work together in the hub to make healthcare more accessible for more people.  

Barnsley Hospital Trust Board has approved a Phase 1 business case, and the hospital has also appointed Masterplanners to help them understand which outpatient services could work well in the Health and Wellbeing Hub. The Phase 1 development will focus on eye services, and they’ll be speaking to patients and carers of those services to get their views and ideas. Barnsley Hospital has also been visiting hubs up and down the country, to learn and seek out best practice.   

Over the next 12 months, Barnsley Council will work with our partners and the Masterplanners to create detailed plans, including the designs of the hub. We will plan out the stages of the project, and detail the costs required at each stage. The ‘gateway’ approval process agreed in the cabinet report means that at further stages of the project, detailed costs will be submitted to cabinet for approval. This will make sure that cabinet receive the most certain, up-to-date costings and that the project has robust management.

It also recommended the first phase of capital works to the Alhambra Shopping Centre take place, and that future financial stages of the project come to cabinet for approval. All the recommendations put forward aim to help the council get the best value for money.

SYMCA GainShare funding has been approved in principle, to help support delivery of the phase one capital works. This includes maintenance and improvements to the Alhambra Shopping Centre, that will improve its current condition and get it ready for future phases of the project. Maintenance will include health and safety compliance works, roof repairs, car park works and improving lighting and electrics throughout. Works will start in the next few months and take place over the next year. 

Cllr Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said:

"We’re taking exciting steps forward on Barnsley’s innovative Health and Wellbeing Hub. This next phase will help us gain a deep understanding of what our residents and partners need and allow us to create detailed plans for the layout and services in the hub. While we’re doing this research and planning, we’ll also be doing essential maintenance and improvements to the much-loved Alhambra Shopping Centre.”

“Barnsley is a bold and innovative place that is raising the bar on health, investment, and high street regeneration, and we are proud of what we’re achieving together."

Bob Kirton, Barnsley Hospital Managing Director, said:

“We’re absolutely delighted to take this exciting opportunity to the next stage of development. We’ve been listening to what our patients, their families and our colleagues tell us and it’s clear that there is a real appetite for bringing more health services to a town centre location, which is easy, convenient, modern, and linked with other services and facilities. This means we can build on the success of the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), which has been incredibly well received by the people of Barnsley.”