Ripon NHS patients get physiotherapy at leisure centre

By Hiyastar Newsroom
Published 1 June 2026

NHS physiotherapy patients in Ripon are being moved from a hospital setting into a local leisure centre from Monday, 1 June 2026, under a new partnership between North Yorkshire Council and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The service is relocating from Ripon Community Hospital to Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre on Dallamires Lane, where a new adapted clinical space has been created for physiotherapy appointments.

The change means some patients will receive specialist treatment in a health and wellbeing hub rather than a traditional hospital department. No walk-in system or change to NHS appointment routes was announced, so patients should follow the appointment information provided by the NHS trust.

Main takeaways for Ripon patients

• NHS physiotherapy begins moving to Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre from Monday, 1 June 2026.
• Patient clinics are due to take place in the new clinical space this week.
• Pulmonary rehabilitation services are expected to relocate by the end of June 2026.
• Planned services include musculoskeletal rehabilitation, respiratory physiotherapy, neurology rehabilitation, pelvic health rehabilitation and children’s physiotherapy.
• The move affects services currently provided at Ripon Community Hospital.

NHS physiotherapy moves to Dallamires Lane

The adapted space at Active North Yorkshire Ripon has been prepared so Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust can deliver clinical physiotherapy care inside the leisure venue.

North Yorkshire Council said the aim is to place recovery in a less clinical environment, where patients can connect treatment with everyday activity, confidence and longer-term wellbeing.

For residents, the practical difference is the setting. Instead of attending a hospital department for some physiotherapy services, patients may now be seen at a leisure centre that already includes facilities for exercise, swimming and community activity.

Cllr Simon Myers, executive member for leisure, said the arrangement would allow residents to access the same high-quality care in a more informal environment. He said it could help shift people from feeling like a “patient in hospital” to an “active individual in recovery”.

Services planned for the new clinical space

The partnership is expected to cover a range of physiotherapy and rehabilitation services. North Yorkshire Council listed musculoskeletal rehabilitation, respiratory physiotherapy, neurology rehabilitation, pelvic health rehabilitation and paediatric physiotherapy among the services planned for the leisure centre site.

Physiotherapy teams will work with Active North Yorkshire staff to help patients continue with movement after clinical treatment ends. That could include gym-based exercise, swimming or community classes, depending on the patient’s needs and advice from clinicians.

The council announcement did not give new eligibility rules, prices or self-referral instructions. It described the service as NHS care delivered in a different local setting, with clinical treatment provided by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Hospital space and recovery closer to home

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said the move is about rethinking how and where care is delivered.

He said the trust’s physiotherapy team had been based at Ripon Community Hospital for more than 26 years, and that working with North Yorkshire Council allowed physiotherapy to move into a community setting “more accessible and better aligned with how people live their lives”.

The trust also said the relocation helps preserve hospital space for patients who need it most. It described the work as part of the NHS’ Fit For the Future 10-Year Health Plan locally, with prevention and care closer to home as central aims.

Active North Yorkshire expands health hub role

The physiotherapy move follows the transfer of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s Active against Cancer service to Active North Yorkshire – The Jack Laugher Centre in January 2026.

That programme puts exercise at the centre of cancer care, and its earlier move to the Ripon site helped set the pattern for using leisure facilities as part of health and rehabilitation services.

Matt Halpin, professional lead for physiotherapy at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said choosing a leisure-based environment was patient-focused. He said moving away from a traditional clinical setting can help patients engage in their own recovery with greater confidence.

North Yorkshire Council said it is continuing to work with the NHS and other partners to consider whether more health-related services can be delivered through its health and wellbeing hubs across the county.

Source: North Yorkshire Council