Sheffield has been given £37m of government funding available to help transform general practice within the city and NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and GPs are asking people to have their say.

The proposal is to spend the money to build up to five new health centres in Sheffield bringing together GP practices and other services under one roof.

Fifteen GP practices may be interested in relocating into the new buildings and if the plans go ahead, this will mean that their current site would close.

The five health centres are proposed for three areas in the city. One in the city centre, two in the Shiregreeen, Firth Park, Southey Green and Parson Cross area, and two in the Burngreave, Pitsmoor, Firvale and Page Hall area.

These parts of the city haven’t benefited from funding for GP buildings for many years, so many of the buildings need to modernise or are just not big enough to provide all the services that practices need to deliver medicine in 21^st century.

So far ideas for the health centres include pods where visitors can access online services, bigger and more clinical and interview rooms so practices can recruit more staff and offer more services such as mental health support, physiotherapy, blood tests, and minor surgery. The buildings will meet the highest environmental standards, use less energy, and have better lighting and ventilation, helping reduce the risk of infection. We want to hear public’s ideas too.

The new health centres offer an opportunity to improve access to care for people in these areas and a better environment for the staff working there. These improvements would not all be possible simply by improving current premises.

Dr Terry Hudsen, GP and Chair of NHS Sheffield CCG said, “The funding is fantastic news for the city and if the health centres are built, could see more than 100,000 patients benefitting from more modern health premises and joined-up services, improving access to a wide range of services. We have been offered a significant amount of money by the government and it is a great opportunity to improve health facilities for local people.”

“I would encourage anyone who lives in the areas where a new health centre is planned to have their say as we want our plans to meet the needs of local communities.

“I want to stress that this engagement is about exploring the possibility of new health centres, no plans have been agreed on the locations or which, if any, practices will move. We want people’s ideas and views. One option is to stay as they are and not build the new health centres at all.”

The CCG wants people’s ideas and views on the possible locations and services that may be available in the new health centres. This is just the start of a conversation. The CCG and the GP practices will take on board people’s views to develop a business case for the current premises and health centres. Once the business case is ready, later of this year there will be a public consultation on the preferred way forward.

You can have your say by filling in the online survey available on the CCG website here https://www.sheffieldccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/healthcentres.htm.

If you prefer you can also speak to someone at your local community partners who will be collating feedback on behalf of the CCG.

• SOAR Community soarcommunity.org.uk/ 0114 213 4065
• Firvale Community Hub https://firvalecommunityhub.org.uk/ 0114 261 9130
• Shipshape shipshape.org.uk/ 0114 250 0222

As GP practices are so busy helping patients, we ask you to please not them about the plans. Please fill in the online survey, speak to one of the community partners or contact the CCG on sheccg.comms@nhs.net. They will manage all views and pass them on to practices in full.

The funding is part of a £1 billion boost to NHS capital spending announced by the government in 2019. The Sheffield funding is part of £57.5m for South Yorkshire. The plan is to build the centres by the end of 2023. If the plans go ahead, patient will be receiving care in the new centres by spring 2024.

The CCG is in the early stages of planning so exact locations haven’t yet been agreed but there is a shortlist of locations and preferred sites for the five areas.

The funding will also be used to improve and make more space in some existing GP practice facilities. Nine other practices from across the city are expected to receive investment for refurbishment and extension of their current premises.