'NHS high street clinics could revive town centres'

SETTING up health clinics on the high street can revive flagging town centres, according to NHS leaders.

- JANE KIRBY Press Association

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts, said the shift to providing more care in the community and away from hospitals gives local businesses and shops a boost.

Wakefield and Barnsley, in Yorkshire, have seen a higher footfall and a lift to the economy when people use new health centres located in town centres.

The Government's 10-year plan for the health service wants to shift care away from hospitals, creating a “neighbourhood health service” in towns and cities across the country.

Mr Elkeles, who visited the Wakefield health centre yesterday, said it was “contributing to the rejuvenation of the local area. He told the Press Association: “Years of underinvestment, and dysfunctional spending rules under successive governments, have left the NHS with buildings and equipment that are too often outdated and unfit for purpose.