Three local health centres to benefit from buildings upgrade, following announcement of new Government funding

Thousands of patients in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes will benefit from improved healthcare on their doorstep, following the announcement of over £1m investment into three local NHS buildings. These improvements are part of a national £200 million programme of Government investment to upgrade 50 existing buildings across England.

The local centres to receive the investment are in Luton (Liverpool Road), Shefford and Stony Stratford.  The three are among 27 projects across England which are expected to be completed by 2027 and will see the provision of additional clinical space, improved patient experience and upgraded accommodation for community-based NHS teams.

The Government has outlined a wider ambition to allow patients to access a greater range of health services from neighbourhood health centres – all under one roof and closer to their homes – such as urgent treatment, GP and pharmacy services.  In time, centres may also include wider services like debt advice, employment and family support and other voluntary sector support and be open 12 hours a day, six days a week.

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.

Jan Thomas, Chief Executive Officer at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: 

“I’m delighted that we have been able to secure funding so that we can turn disused and poorly used space at some of our health centres into clinical areas and provide bases for our community health services.

“We look forward to launching our new ICB next week, publishing our new strategy, and getting on with the delivery: this means improving patient satisfaction, reducing the time spent waiting for care, and ensuring the NHS is financially sustainable.”

Speaking about the national programme to develop neighbourhood health centres, 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.”