Agenda item

To receive a report and presentation which provides information concerning the proposed Town Centre Health Hub development and consider the Commission’s position with respect to the recommendations to be made to Cabinet in that regard in July 2025.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Williams, the Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy and Simon Moss, the Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport to the meeting and invited them to introduce the report and presentation.

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy noted that  Lorna Vertigan, Head of Regeneration was present to discuss the health hub plans for the town centre. They provided an overview of the Health Hub Development and highlighted that proposals were due to go before Cabinet for approval on 7 July 2025. They emphasised the Health Hub’s importance in addressing limited health services in the town centre. The project aimed to transform the former Boots building at 42-46 Effingham Street into a Health Hub following its acquisition by the Council in May 2023 and return it to use. The project was divided into two phases: relocating the Abbey Pharmacy from its current location which was essential in order to progress the Library and Markets redevelopment which was underway and establishing a shared Health Hub working with health partners and service providers to explore the feasibility various health services, with the ultimate aim of improving access to health services, taking pressure off GP services and the hospital whilst supporting the wider regeneration ambitions for the town centre.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport explained the strategic context, referencing the Town Centre Master Plan from 2017 which aimed to transition from retail reliance to leisure and services, which would see the part of the town centre near Forge Island become more of a leisure and culture quarter and the other side of the town centre anchored by the service sector. They also explained that another big transition in the town centre was around building more housing which meant the town centre needed to serve a growing local community. The council had made several strategic acquisitions, including the former Boots building, to support this transition. The introduction of health-related services was seen as a good fit for the service sector strategy in that part of the town centre.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport outlined the need for the project and referenced the term ‘Health on the High Street’, which had become an established intervention which harnessed mutual benefits of locating health services in town centres which were highly accessible. There was also support for this approach in Central Government which from a regeneration perspective, could also contribute significantly to increased footfall and economic activity in the town centre.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport detailed the two phases of the project:

Phase 1: Relocating the Abbey Pharmacy due to the redevelopment of the markets and library complex.

Phase 2: Working with health partners to develop considered proposals to transform the remainder of the building into a shared Health Hub, giving due regard to the evidence base from a health perspective and considering partners’ and service providers’ asset strategies.

The estimated cost for Phase 1 was £1.3 million, including fees and contingencies. Phase 2's feasibility and design work were estimated at £400,000. Funding for the project was sourced from Pathfinder funding, requiring agreement from the town board which had been agreed. Before progressing on conclusion of Phase 2, a further report would be brought to Cabinet to set out the detailed proposals developed.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport presented a case study from Barnsley, where a diagnostic centre was successfully relocated to the Glassworks in 2022. The project in Barnsley resulted in positive impacts on missed appointments, patient outcomes, and increased footfall of approximately 150 ,000 per year and an estimated 1.5 million of additional visitor spending. He noted that while the specific services might differ, the principles were applicable to Rotherham, where it was felt from initial discussions that primary care services are likely to offer the most impact and opportunity.

The former Boots building was well-located but underutilised, currently serving as a site office for market upgrades. Indicative plans showed potential layouts for the ground, first, and second floors, with space for approximately 30 clinical spaces. The ground floor would house the pharmacy, with the first and second floors offering additional health service spaces.

A specific task and finish project group would be formed, including health service providers, to formalize discussions and report through the council's capital reporting process. The governance structure for the ongoing operational management of the building would be proposed in the next cabinet report. The project aimed to ensure no significant deviation from the intended purpose over time.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Environment and the Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport for the presentation and invited questions and comments from members.

Cllr Brent asked about considerations for parking, drop-off spots, and bus stops to access the proposed Health Hub, highlighting potential difficulties faced by people with ill health or mobility issues. The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport responded that the site was within walking distance of two large car parks, including the council-operated Drummond Street car park, which offered one hour of free parking and a multi storey. There were also priority parking spots for blue badge holders and various drop-off spaces nearby such as Effingham Street and Drummond Street, with both the bus interchange and train and tram station in close proximity. They emphasised the site's accessibility, noting that 60% of the borough could access it within 30 minutes via public transport. They agreed that this was an important consideration the accessibility of this site in the town centre was one of the key advantages.

Cllr Brent enquired about the status of the Town Centre Music Venue Project referenced in the report and presentation. The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport explained that while the music venue remained important, it had faced challenges in finding a suitable location. They were considering downsizing the proposal and working with the current operator to protect an existing music venue. The Head of Regeneration added that they had explored three different properties, but costs kept rising and it was felt that this was beyond the realm of public funds. They were committed to the project but recognised the need for private sector involvement.

Cllr Duncan questioned the success of a similar health service model which housed a GP walk in and out of hours service with and on-site pharmacy in the town centre adjacent to Bailey House, given its closure. Gilly Brenner, Public Health Consultant explained that changes in health service commissioning and rental agreements had impacted upon the previous service. The new proposal aimed to integrate health and social care services, making them more accessible, especially for households without access to a car. The Public Health Consultant acknowledged the need for more work done to develop the final proposals and outlined the direction of Central Government in relation to neighbourhood health, concerned with the integration of services via an embedded single front door which afforded joined up healthcare and some social care work together delivering greater wrap around services. They also highlighted that 23 % of households in the borough did not have access to a car, so it was important to deliver a site easily accessible by public transport. The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport added in the Barnsley case study referred to the location in the retail core was central to the proposal. And I think what's interesting from that is just how central in the retail core the proposals were and the psychology around that, hence the location next to the library and markets development.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health explained that the flexibility of individual spaces was also being considered in terms of potential use by particular services for one or two days per week, then occupied by others for the remainder of the week. The Public Health Consultant added that there were lots of potential options and models that could be pursued such as occupational therapy being alongside some of the health provision there so that you've got that joined up between health and care, the potential to host weight management and stop smoking cessation services, nutrition support, cooking type support and possible co-location with social prescribing services. It represented an opportunity in terms of the link between health service provision and community provision. How that would feel as you walk into that space was fundamental to what the Council would like to achieve with the Health Hub.

Cllr Clarke asked about consulting with Rotherham North and South and the potential for late-night and weekend opening hours, citing public transport issues around accessing existing services within local communities. The Public Health Consultant  confirmed that they were considering extended access services currently run by the GP Federation, which included evening and weekend access. She acknowledged the need for borough-wide services to be accessible and mentioned ongoing mapping work to ensure accessibility.

Cllr Garnett enquired about the alignment of the new health hub with the new SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care) Centre operated by TRFT (The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust), which provided out-of-hours and weekend services. The Public Health Consultant assured Cllr Garnett that they were in discussions with the hospital to avoid duplication of services and ensure that the new hub would complement existing services. The goal was to provide accessible primary care services to reduce unnecessary use of urgent care.

Cllr Bennett-Sylvester raised concerns about the impact on existing health services in the town centre and the accessibility of the new hub, whilst they acknowledged that it was logical from the regeneration perspective and retaining a town centre pharmacy service. They suggested looking at opportunities for improving connectivity between the town centre and other and parking/drop off through review of closed routes. The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport acknowledged the need for further work on accessibility and parking. The Public Health Consultant emphasised that the new hub would provide additional space for services currently struggling with clinical space constraints which would support the national agenda around reducing waiting lists where there wasn’t capacity in the hospital setting.  There was the need for this to continue to be an evolving discussion in terms of both the health assets strategy and the council assets strategy in terms of where there was give and take. They acknowledged that there were some great services run out of Badsley Moore Lane for example, but noted that the site was not ideal in terms of public transport accessibility, despite the location being well utilised. Productive discussions were under way across health and place partners with the hospital, with the ICB (Integrated Care Board), with the GP Federation around actually how do we sensibly look at best patient access with those discussions driven . by inequalities in access and how to ensure that the ability to get patients to where they needed to be was maximised.

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy commented that whilst listening to the helpful questions and contributions, this demonstrated the reasons for and validated the decision to employ a phased approach to the Health Hub development.

Cllr Harper asked about the potential for a walk-in centre at the new health hub to relieve pressure on the hospital accident and emergency department and the funding for the Abbey Pharmacy relocation, with specific regard to what this meant for the Town Centre Music Venue Project. The Public Health Consultant mentioned the possibility of same-day urgent appointments at the new hub. The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport explained that the £1.3 million cost for Phase 1 included fundamental improvements for the whole building and that they were engaging with all affected tenants for temporary relocation during the market refurbishment and aimed to mitigate as much of the impact as possible. The ownership of the premises involved in the Town Centre Music Venue project was confirmed as was the prioritisation of the long-term sustainability of the venue for the tenants.

Cllr Yasseen questioned whether the proposal was driven by public health needs or economic outcomes. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy and the Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport emphasised the mutual benefits of the project for both health services and town centre regeneration. They highlighted the importance of integrating health services into the town centre to support both public health outcomes and increased economic activity and cited strong local and national evidence that this was an approach that worked and delivered those benefits.

Cllr Yasseen also raised concerns about the potential loss of existing health services and the need for free parking for patients. The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport mentioned the one-hour free parking currently available in all Council operated town centre car parks and the possibility of reviewing parking provisions in the future.

Cllr Yasseen concluded by emphasising the importance of engaging with ward members and the neighbourhood model to ensure cohesive provision of services. They proposed an additional recommendation for the Health Select Commission to receive updates on the project, particularly at Phase 2, for pre-decision scrutiny.

The Chair thanked Officers for the helpful and insightful input and discussions.

Resolved:-

That the Health Select Commission supported the following recommendations to Cabinet:

1.    That Cabinet approve delivery of Phase 1 of the Town Centre Health Hub project within the scope and budget as detailed at Appendix 1 and Exempt Appendix 2.

2.    That Cabinet approve the allocation of funding from the Pathfinder programme to progress to final design and implementation of Phase 1 and feasibility work for Phase 2.

3.    That Cabinet note the intentions for Phase 2 of the Town Centre Health Hub and approve the commencement of negotiations with interested parties for the provision of General Practice or other walk-in health services.

4.    That Cabinet note the intentions for the Town Centre Music Venue project.

And added a further recommendation:

5.    That the proposals developed upon the conclusion of Phase 2 return to the Health Select Commission for pre-decision scrutiny.