Nelson Health Centre

Pendle Partnership fully supports the new £6.5 million health centre at Yarnspinners Wharf in Nelson.

When the new health centre is fully during 2005, it will provide integrated health services for 50,000 people in Nelson and greatly enhance primary healthcare facilities.

Cancer, coronary heart disease and mental health in Nelson are all currently worse than the national average.

Pendle Partnership has provided approximately £700,000 towards the cost of developing the 3 acre site for the new health centre which has been developed by Eric Wright Construction.

Pendle Partnership’s Chairman Dennis Mendoros OBE said:

“The Health Centre will be a flagship project for both Pendle Partnership and the Primary Care Trust. It will make a big difference to the quality of health services in Nelson and should have a positive impact on improving local people’s health."

“It will also make it easier to attract good quality health care staff to the area.”

The new site will provide opportunities to tackle wider public health and social inclusion issues in a more holistic way by providing facilities for community based initiatives and encouraging a greater level of inter-agency action.

This increase in partnership working is expected to help improve issues such as sexual health, teenage pregnancy, levels of drug and alcohol misuse and the health of minority ethnic groups. Links with groups such as Sure Start will also be encouraged.

The new health centre should also help to overcome the long-running problem of understaffing. The more attractive working environment will help to recruit and retain more GPs and other health staff. The shortage of health staff has a direct impact on the quality of the service delivered to local people.
 
In addition to the health benefits that the new health centre will bring, it will also act as a catalyst for regeneration in the area, helping to improve the image of the area and making it more attractive to inward investors.

The new health centre will also be made available for the community to use, particularly in the evenings and at weekends. By providing these opportunities the centre will allow community based regeneration to take place. Local people will also be involved in producing artwork within the building, which will promote a sense of inclusion and ownership.

The health centre is being funded through a Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) which is a public-private partnership involving  Partnerships for Health, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust and the Eric Wright Group – who are the initiative’s chosen private sector partner. The Eric Wright Group will build and maintain the health centre, before leasing it back to the PCT for a twenty five year period. The new public/private company, the East Lancashire Building Partnership, is able to borrow money commercially and access funding for the remainder from its partner organisations.