St Helens approves funding for adjusted Skills Academy scheme
The council has signed off an updated business case and close to £1m in grant funding for the creation of a health and care skills campus within a vacant town centre shop.
The facility was originally planned on land owned by St Helens College but the college advised the council that it could no longer support the delivery of new or refurbished accommodation for the scheme, which also includes a skills hub.
Instead, the project will be delivered in the former Moneyshop unit at 4-6 Hardshaw Street in St Helens town centre. It is aimed at supporting people to get jobs within the health and social care sector.
The council’s cabinet met earlier this week to approve the change of approach and a £900,000 grant to the Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to refurbish and fit out the unit.
The cash for the skills academy project will come from St Helens £25m Town Deal pot.
The facility will be managed by the NHS Hospital Trust and the council, working collaboratively under St Helens Cares – an integrated place-based partnership launched in 2018 to address the rising cost and demand in health and social care.
The wider Health and Care Innovation Hub business case was prepared by the council, St Helens College, St Helens Chamber, St Helens Place ICB, and St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Business Connect, the proposed second half of the scheme, would have provided working and meeting spaces at St Helens Chamber, with associated support for businesses with a health and social care focus to co-locate and network, in order to accelerate growth within this sector.
However, a St Helens Council report states that “due to the demise of the St Helens Chamber of Commerce, the Business Connect element of the project also requires a business case review”.
