Barrow will be among the first 27 places in the country to have a neighbourhood health centre.
The Government has announced that the centres will mean improved healthcare on people’s doorsteps.
The Alfred Barrow Centre on Duke Street is included in the first wave of centres, which will 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 27 will be 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.
It was revealed in November that the centre would be given a £7 million upgrade and at the time, it was understood that work would begin next month.
The upgrade to the Alfred Barrow Health Centre is part of ongoing work by Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham, local health leaders, and Team Barrow, to deliver a comprehensive plan for local health service improvements.
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.”
