Alhambra health hub opens in town’s shopping centre, providing convenient, accessible services to residents
A pioneering new means of providing healthcare services has in Barnsley – in the shopping centre in the middle of town. It’s part of a wider regeneration of Barnsley town centre, which it is hoped will set an example for others round the country to follow.
Shaun Garside, Director of Operations at Barnsley Hospital, with Sir Steve Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, at the launch of the Alhambra Outpatients hub, photo courtesy of Barnsley Council
The idea is to make access to healthcare services easier and more convenient, by establishing a health and well-being hub at the heart of the community. By encouraging residents to access non-emergency services at this convenient hub, the hope is to relieve pressure on Barnsley Hospital so that staff there can focus on more acute medical cases.
It is anticipated that some 100,000 visits a year will be made to the new hub instead of the hospital.
The project will see the largest ever relocation of outpatient services in the UK, outside a clinical setting. Ophthalmology, Optometry and Retinal Screening has now transferred to the new hub, situated on first floor of the Alhambra Shopping Centre, and is already receiving outpatients. Rheumatology, Dermatology and Orthotics are due to move to the new site shortly, with other outpatient services to follow in early 2026.
The project has been made possible by support from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which enabled Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to buy the shopping centre site, with the aim to situate the new health and well-being hub alongside retail and leisure facilities. As well as reducing pressure on existing healthcare facilities and improving access and quality of care, the hope is to attract more visitors to the town centre, and so boost the local economy. Estimates suggest it will generate at least £1.5m in additional visitor spend per year.
Indeed, this is just the latest development in Barnsley’s ‘Health on the High Street’ initiative. Three years ago, the NHS community diagnostic centre (CDC) opened in the town’s Glass Works and since then has completed some 220,000 appointments for everything from blood tests to ultrasounds and X-rays.
According to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, the CDC has resulted in reduced waiting times, increased attendance rates for appointments and improved patient satisfaction. For example, there has been a 22% increase in attendance at mammograms and a 24% reduction in ‘Did Not Attends’ (DNAs).
What’s more, the CDC helped increase footfall in the town centre by an additional 50,000 per year, with benefits for local shops and businesses.
Dr Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive of Barnsley Hospital, says: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to take this exciting opportunity to the final stages 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 CDC, which has been incredibly well received by the people of Barnsley. Expanding the range of health and wellbeing services in the heart of our town centre, alongside the CDC, is going to deliver even more efficient and effective services, hugely enhancing people’s experiences and ultimately improving the lives of residents.”
Cllr Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, adds: ‘”Health on the High Street” is a trailblazing project, bringing even more of Barnsley’s health services into the heart of our town centre. I’m excited to see the first of Barnsley Hospital services moving into the Alhambra space, making it easier for people to get vital health checks, and I can’t wait for the space to continue growing its offer over the next few years.
‘It’s building on the fantastic success story of Barnsley Hospital’s CDC in the Glass Works, which has seen huge improvements in the number of patients accessing vital, potentially life-saving appointments over the last three years. It’s another investment into the physical fabric of our town which is helping empower all our communities to thrive, and the feedback from patients has been fantastic.
‘People understandably prefer coming into town to have their scan, where they can go on to enjoy a coffee and a bit of shopping in our fantastic town centre, over having to attend a traditional hospital setting.’
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