[W]ork is set to begin on a new £12 million Primary Care Centre in Barrow. The facility will be situated on the site of the former Alfred Barrow School following the final go-ahead granted by the NHS England and Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group.
Work on the new centre will start early next year with completion planned for 2019. The centre brings together many improvements for patients in Barrow. It will be a modern facility, housing GP surgeries and community health services in one building whilst preserving the oldest part of the Victorian Alfred Barrow School building. The Centre will be easy to access and have ample parking.
The Centre will bring together the primary and community health services, provided by three GP Practices (Abbey Road Surgery / Atkinson Health Centre / Risedale Surgery) and Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and will also house facilities for the North West Ambulance Service and BAE Systems. The new facility is a 5,000 sqm site is being developed through Community Health Partnerships (CHP).
NHS Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group Vice Chair and Barrow GP Dr Geoff Jolliffe said: “I’m thrilled that we’re all set for the next stage of this exciting new health service project which has been many years in the making and will be a huge boost for the people of Barrow.
“Getting to this green light stage and bringing our vision into reality is often a very complex process and many organisations have been working hard to get to where we are today.
“The centre will be a great place for patients, doctors and other staff. I fully expect that, with all these health services working side by side under the same roof, there will be many new and better ways to care for the health of the people of Barrow and that the fabulous state of the art environment will make it easier to recruit staff when necessary.”
CHP’s Development Director, Eugene Prinsloo said: “Our purpose is to improve patient access to primary and community care through investment in high quality health facilities. CHP is proud to be able to bring local services together, in a modern building that supports modern healthcare delivery. The people of Barrow will see the benefits of how public private partnership will help transform their health and wellbeing closer to home.”
