Government to upgrade the Seaham Primary Care Centre

Seaham Primary Care Centre is set to benefit from the total £250m pot of funding and will be upgraded to become a one-stop-shop for urgent treatment, GP and pharmacy services in one place.

The government say tens of thousands of patients will benefit from the new centres, to be open 12 hours a day six days a week from 2027.

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.”

A total of 250 centres are set to be open by 2036, with ambitions for them to include wider services like debt advice, employment, family support and more.

However, locations for future centres have not been decided – as Mr Kinnock confirmed they will be placed in areas across the country that need them most.

“There is no need for people to constantly be going into A&E when they could be treated in a health centre on their doorstep,” he told The Northern Echo.

“One of the big drivers of where we decided to place these 27 centres is for the areas that really need it most.

“We are focused on matching resources to need. We know there is a very clear link between high levels of deprivation and high levels of health and care challenges.”

Claire Fuller, NHS England’s national medical director, added: “Neighbourhood health centres will make it easier for people, particularly working-class communities, to access more joined up care closer to home.

“By bringing GP services together with a wider range of tailored support, we can help people to get the right care more quickly, close to home, while avoiding unnecessary trips to hospital.”