From bargains to better health: Barnsley’s Wilko store to become NHS clinic in pioneering pilot
The new healthcare hub will offer outpatient appointments alongside other services, like mental health support
Last updated 17th Apr 2025
When the Wilko store in Barnsley’s Alhambra shopping centre shut its doors for good, it marked the end of an era. But this autumn, the former discount store will reopen with a very different kind of purpose — one that could reshape how the UK delivers healthcare.
In the shell of the shuttered shop, builders are busy preparing for the arrival of Barnsley Hospital’s busiest outpatient department: ophthalmology.
The new hub sits on the first floor of the Alhambra Shopping Centre – which the council bought last year for £4.5 million – and is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors a year once fully up and running by 2028. It will house a mix of NHS services, mental health support, and even a gym, with wraparound care designed to tackle broader wellbeing issues like isolation, inactivity and poverty.
It’s the first step in what’s being called the UK’s largest ever shift of NHS outpatient services into a town centre setting, and more departments are already lining up to join the move, with dermatology, rheumatology and diabetes services tipped to be next.
“We do think this is something we could do right across the country,” says Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE, leader of Barnsley Council, standing in the middle of the construction site.
“Because now it’s public service reform. It’s about improving access to facilities – because if access is difficult, whether it’s public transport, whether it’s the site itself – people just don’t bother. So we’ve got to make it easy for them.”
A big idea in a small town
Barnsley’s initiative – dubbed Health on the High Street – has already drawn national attention. The first phase, a Community Diagnostic Centre inside The Glass Works shopping centre, opened in 2022 and has hosted more than 220,000 appointments to date. The centre’s early success helped secure over £60 million in funding from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for this second, more ambitious phase.
Dr Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive of Barnsley Hospital, says the decision to move ophthalmology into the Alhambra was driven by both demand and practicality.
“It’s our biggest outpatient specialty – and it’s probably outgrown the area it’s got,” he says. “Every hospital has car parking challenges, so it’s much easier to park in the centre of a town. Most public transport comes into a hub in the town centre. We’re also trying to think of the environmental aspects.”
Health inequalities — and hope
Barnsley is no stranger to healthcare challenges. Just last week, it was named among the areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy in England. For Sir Steve, that statistic drives home the urgency of the project.
“The challenge is immense,” he says. “But I’ve never been as optimistic for the future of the borough as I am now.”
More than 100,000 outpatient visits a year could take place at the new centre instead of the hospital, reducing pressure on NHS services while bringing care closer to where people live, shop and socialise. An on-site gym, run by Barnsley Premier Leisure, and integrated mental health services will round out the offer — making it more than just a clinic, but a destination for prevention and support.
A new model for the NHS?
South Yorkshire’s mayor Oliver Coppard believes Barnsley could become a blueprint for others to follow.
“The NHS has got a huge challenge when it comes to the backlog of outpatient care and A&E,” he says. “What we need is a different model, a different understanding of care. By being able to bring healthcare into a town centre, we’re able to make that much more accessible. One in five bus journeys in South Yorkshire is related to healthcare – so let’s make those journeys easier.”
Coppard sees the investment – and the borough’s boldness – as part of a wider transformation in how people see the town.
“People used to think of Barnsley as a place where miners were, where industry was,” he says. “Now, I think of Barnsley as a place that pioneers new things and new ideas. It’s got a really thriving future.”