NHS physiotherapy patients in Ripon are now being treated at a local leisure centre instead of the town’s community hospital, under a new partnership designed to bring care closer to where people live.
From Monday, 1 June, physiotherapy services previously delivered at Ripon Community Hospital moved to Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre on Dallamires Lane. The change means patients can receive specialist treatment in a new clinical space inside a health and wellbeing venue, while still being supported by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust staff.
The first patient clinics are being held at the centre this week. Pulmonary rehabilitation services are expected to relocate by the end of June.
NHS clinics have moved to Dallamires Lane
The move affects physiotherapy patients whose care was previously based at Ripon Community Hospital. North Yorkshire Council said bespoke adaptations have been made at Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre to create a clinical area suitable for NHS treatment.
The service is not being described as a drop-in clinic. Patients should continue to follow their NHS appointment arrangements and any direct instructions from their care team.
Services planned for the leisure centre site include musculoskeletal rehabilitation, respiratory physiotherapy, neurology rehabilitation, pelvic health rehabilitation and children’s physiotherapy.
Services planned at the Ripon leisure centre
Residents may see a wider mix of health activity at the venue as the partnership develops. The current plans include:
- Musculoskeletal, or MSK, rehabilitation
- Respiratory physiotherapy
- Neurology rehabilitation
- Pelvic health rehabilitation
- Paediatric physiotherapy
- Pulmonary rehabilitation, due to move by the end of June
The new space also sits alongside the Active against Cancer service, which moved to Active North Yorkshire – The Jack Laugher Centre in January. That programme places exercise at the centre of cancer care and is run by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
Recovery support will extend beyond appointments
A central aim of the partnership is to make rehabilitation feel less removed from everyday life. Physiotherapy teams will work with Active North Yorkshire staff so patients can be supported into gym-based exercise, swimming or community classes when their clinical treatment ends.
For some patients, that could make the transition from treatment to longer-term activity easier. A leisure centre setting can also help people build routines and social contact during recovery, rather than seeing rehabilitation as something that happens only in a hospital room.
Cllr Simon Myers, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for leisure, said the approach would allow residents to access high-quality care in a more informal setting. He said it could help shift people from feeling like a “patient in hospital” to an “active individual in recovery”.
Hospital space is being preserved for higher-need patients
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said its physiotherapy team had been based at Ripon Community Hospital for more than 26 years. The trust said moving some care into a community setting also helps preserve hospital space for patients who need it most.
Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of the trust, said the move was about rethinking how and where care is delivered. He linked the change to the NHS Fit For the Future 10-Year Health Plan, with its focus on prevention and care closer to home.
Matt Halpin, professional lead for physiotherapy at the trust, said the leisure-based setting was chosen with patients in mind. He said moving away from a traditional clinical environment could help people engage with recovery with more confidence and bridge the gap between rehabilitation and daily life.
More health services could follow across North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Council said it is continuing to work with partners, including the NHS, to consider whether more health-related services can be delivered in its health and wellbeing hubs across the county.
The authority launched Active North Yorkshire in September 2024 as its sport and active wellbeing service. Its stated aim is to develop health and wellbeing hubs that improve physical and mental health across North Yorkshire communities.
For Ripon patients, the immediate change is practical: appointments are now taking place at Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre on Dallamires Lane, with further rehabilitation services due to move in before the end of June.
Source: North Yorkshire Council
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This article was written from North Yorkshire Council’s published notice and checked against the named services, dates and organisations in that source.
- Confirmed the service move date as Monday, 1 June.
- Checked the new location as Active North Yorkshire Ripon - The Jack Laugher Centre on Dall...
- Verified the NHS provider named in the source as Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Tru...
- Separated confirmed current clinic moves from planned pulmonary rehabilitation relocation...
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- North Yorkshire Council
- Scope
- Ripon, North Yorkshire
- Updated
- 2026-06-01 11:51
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