HEALTH Secretary Wes Streeting believes ‘Barnsley is on the up’ and left feeling ‘inspired’ following the official opening of the town centre’s revolutionary Health on the High Street hub yesterday.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said Barnsley has a ‘great story to tell’ after touring the facilities at the Alhambra Centre.
The scheme has transformed its first floor in a bid to bring more convenient and accessible healthcare services to thousands of residents.
It was made possible after the Alhambra was bought by Barnsley Council - with support from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).
Before the official ribbon-cutting event, Mr Streeting made an announcement regarding £5m to tackle cancer screening inequalities, with the aim to save lives across South Yorkshire.
The first services to transfer to the hub were ophthalmology, optometry and retinal screening.
These will be followed by rheumatology, dermatology and orthotics.
Mr Streeting told the Chronicle: “Barnsley has got a great story to tell on so many fronts.
“What we’re sitting in at the moment is the future of the NHS.
“Care is much closer to people’s homes, instead of expecting them to come to us.
“This is accessible, it’s easy for people to get to and that’s exactly what I want the NHS to be.
“That’s the great thing about Health on the High Street - it’s a lovely, warm, welcoming and inclusive environment.
“This, combined with the investment we’re putting in with cancer services, will see waiting lists fall.
“As someone from a working-class background myself, I’m not prepared to see people in Barnsley falling ill or even losing their lives much earlier than other people just because they’re not as wealthy.
“Barnsley deserves better.
“I’m very aware with the situation with the car park in the hospital.
“A lot of the services we see here would’ve been in the hospital.
“By bringing them here to the shopping centre, that eases the pressure on the car park.”
When asked about if he had been impressed with the tour of the facilities, Mr Streeting added: “I’ve been genuinely inspired.
“What makes this quite unique in a way is that as well as having such a nice, modern, accessible facility - the fact that we’ve got a government that’s bucking up the cash for that is quite unusual.
“We’ve got a Labour team that’s backing Barnsley and Barnsley is definitely on the up.”
Other hospital outpatient services are due to move in this year - with the facility due to be fully operational in 2028.
The Health on the High Street initiative has already set a trailblazing precedent - regarding residents’ access to health and wellbeing services in Barnsley.
It is next to the Glass Works, where the well-received NHS Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) opened three years ago.
It has welcomed more than 220,000 appointments to date for essential services like blood tests, ultrasounds and X-rays.
It also saw a 22 per cent increase in mammogram attendance and a 24 per cent reduction in unattended appointments
By attracting an estimated extra 150,000 visitors each year, Health on the High Street is expected to generate at least £1.5m in extra visitor spend.
Barnsley Council are also working with partners - including Barnsley Premier Leisure and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on phase two of the hub.
This will include other health and well-being services, such as a gym and wellbeing centre and mental health services.
Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard added: “I want South Yorkshire to be the healthiest region in the country.
“Health on the High Street - and the work going on across Barnsley - is central to making that vision a reality.
“By bringing services into the heart of Barnsley, everyone will now be able to access a wide range of health and wellbeing support in the town centre, no longer needing to visit a hospital.”
