CONCERNED residents who have been left without their local medical centre for over a year after it was ‘temporarily’ closed due to significant damage to the building will have to wait a little longer for it to reopen after further damage was found making it ‘impossible’ to be used.
Patients at Brierley Medical Centre, on Church Drive, received a letter from the Barnsley Healthcare Federation who run the site in April last year stating that the site would be closed temporarily.
The decision was made after a structural survey was completed by the federation a month earlier, noting that there was extensive structural damage to the building itself.
This ultimately led to the closure of the site, with patients being told they were being transferred to the Grimethorpe Medical Centre more than a mile away.
Bosses at the time said that the health and safety of its patients and staff were paramount to making the decision which was made in conjunction with the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS England.
It was anticipated that the relocation would only be a temporary fix and that the site would reopen within months of its closure.
However, the Chronicle can reveal that further tests have been carried out at the site and the damage is worse than first thought.
Subsequently, the Brierley Medical Centre will remain closed for the foreseeable future with bosses stating it would be ‘impossible’ to open at this time.
Lina Soura, chief operating officer at Barnsley Healthcare Federation, told the Chronicle: “We appreciate the concerns raised by residents regarding the relocation of services from Brierley Medical Centre to Grimethorpe Centre, which is about 1.3 miles further away.
“This temporary move was a necessary step after a structural survey conducted in March 2023 identified significant damage to the Brierley Medical Centre building.
“Unfortunately, further investigations revealed that the damage was more extensive than initially thought, making it impossible to return to the Brierley site at this point in time.
“As a result, services continue to operate from Grimethorpe Centre.
“We understand that this may be inconvenient for some patients, and we want to reassure the community that we are actively exploring permanent solutions to ensure that accessible healthcare remains available for Brierley residents.
“We are committed to keeping everyone informed and are available to answer any questions or concerns.”
Coun Ashley Peace, who represents the North East ward, added: “Since March 2023 we have listened to residents and taken forward their concerns around the lack of accessible healthcare services in Brierley.
“We would like to thank them for their patience and understanding during this difficult time.
“The lack of a GP surgery in Brierley has had a significant impact on residents and the services they have access to and we know firsthand the difficulty this has caused.
“We will continue to work closely with Barnsley Healthcare Federation and hope to meet with them in the very near future to better understand their long terms plans for ensuring once again, Brierley has accessible healthcare services for all.\
“If you or your family are experiencing any further issues do not hesitate to contact one of your local elected members and we will take your concerns forward.”
