A conference heard that a “deserted” health and wellness centre in the heart of Luton sends the wrong impression to onlookers.
At the height of the pandemic, the medical centre was opened in the former Royal Mail location in The Mall Luton shopping centre.
Despite ongoing efforts to keep it open, the borough council’s health and wellbeing board was informed that its role as a hub has terminated, at least for the time being.
In an assessment of Luton’s population wellness strategy for the one-year period from 2023 to 2028, the matter was brought up in order to evaluate its advancement and reevaluate the importance of “starting well, living well, and ageing well.”
“It seems to have closed,” inquired Phil Turner, chair of Healthwatch Luton, regarding the health facility located in The Mall. Is that correct? Because it’s there, it almost conveys the incorrect message. It is currently uninhabited and has a large sign that reads “Health Hub” on it, but it is empty. It gives passersby the erroneous impression.
“It was the location where we had the coronavirus vaccinations, which we opened as part of our Covid vaccines outreach,” LBC’s director of public health, Sally Cartwright, responded.
“We put a lot of effort into making it a centre for wellbeing. In addition to social prescribers, there were a number of other services available on the premises. For a while, we attempted to provide injections for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).
We attempted to maintain that open in order to build on that advancement, but we were forced to close it due to contractual obligations involving the estates in The Mall.
Right now, it’s deserted. We were investigating the possibility of reopening and rebranding it, possibly as a wellness centre or as a component of family hubs.
“At this time, we are unable to accomplish that. We are now working on it as we look towards the Luton Central Library around the corner.
It is regrettable that there is a closure since we truly wanted that continuance. Although we have closed the venue for the time being, it hasn’t necessarily closed forever.
She continued, “We’re pushing to keep it open and we’re aware of the vacant premises.” It’s important to acknowledge that these interactions frequently require some time to establish and develop trust. It’s not the best situation. I concur with you entirely.
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