A MEDICAL centre in Truro is to be refurbished in a bid to slash NHS waiting times.

Truro Health Park is to be given an upgrade as part of the government’s NHS investment plan.

The refurbishment comes as the government confirms investment for hundreds of new Neighbourhood Health Centres across the country to bring patient care closer to home and bring an end to the “postcode lottery” of healthcare access

There will also be £300-million of funding for NHS technology to support the work of staff and boost their productivity.

Health Minister Karin Smyth said: “Neighbourhood Health Centres fundamentally reimagine how the NHS works - bringing care closer to home and making sure the NHS is organised around patients’ needs, not the other way round.”

Across England, 250 new health ‘one-stop-shops’ will bring together GPs, nurses, dentists and pharmacists under one roof. Residents of Truro and Falmouth will be among those to benefit, with refurbishment of Truro Health Park ensuring local services are strengthened and expanded.

The centres will be part of a new Neighbourhood Health Service that will provide end-to-end care and tailored support. Initially, the focus will be on improving access to GPs and supporting people with complex needs and long-term conditions - like diabetes and heart failure - in the areas of the highest deprivation. As the programme grows, it will expand to support other patients and priority cohorts.

Local Labour and Co-operative MP Jayne Kirkham has welcomed the investment in Truro Health Park, saying: “I welcome Labour's investment in the people of Truro & Falmouth. This refurbishment will greatly benefit the delivery of local NHS services in Truro and, in turn, the patients who rely on them. This is about rebuilding and investing in our NHS.”

Moving more outpatient care into communities will help end the postcode lottery of healthcare access. Patients will receive treatment closer to home instead of travelling long distances to hospitals, ensuring the NHS fits around people’s lives.

Construction of the new centres will use a combined public-private approach, combining both repurposed estate and new buildings. This makes Neighbourhood Health Centres central to the Government’s plan to build an NHS fit for the future, embedded within local communities.

Local Labour MP Jayne Kirkham, further added: “This is great news for Truro and Falmouth. Cornwall is leading the way with new Neighbourhood Health Teams and reconfiguring Truro Health Park will help to serve patients better, closer to home, in their own communities”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “Our record investment, combined with ruthless efficiency and reform, will deliver the better care and better outcomes our NHS patients deserve.”

The investment comes against a backdrop of NHS waiting lists reaching 7.6-million when the last government left office. To accelerate progress, the Budget will also deliver £300-million in new NHS technology, providing digital tools that automate admin, improve access to patient information and enhance staff communication. This will give nurses, physios, doctors, and other staff more time to care and less time on admin.

Hospital productivity, including A&E and surgical care, is up 2.4 per cent this year. Achieving two per cent productivity growth annually could unlock £17-billion in savings over the next three years—funds that would be reinvested directly to improve patient care.

The government says it has already undertaken major NHS reforms, including reducing bureaucracy by cutting 18,000 posts and merging NHS England back into the Department of Health. This will save over £1-billion a year by the end of the parliament—enough to fund 115,000 extra hip and knee operations.

A spokesperson said: “This government has already made significant progress to get the NHS back on its feet, cutting the waiting list by over 200,000 – the biggest reduction in over 15 years – delivering an extra 5.2-million appointments and providing 135,000 more cancer diagnoses within the 28-day target.

“This progress is only possible with the funding the NHS has already seen from this government, which is built on further in this budget.”