Plans for a major new NHS facility in Lancashire should be a showcase for collaborative partnerships in health.

That was the view of Lancaster University’s Head of Partnerships and Engagement for Health and Social Care when she spoke to senior stakeholders about the future of the 106-acre Clay Fields, formerly Calderstones, site in Whalley.

The land was acquired by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) in April 2024, becoming one of the largest NHS sites in the country. The trust plans to create a flagship community for restorative and regenerative health and wellbeing in the heart of the Ribble Valley.

At a recent stakeholder consultation meeting, Laura Kornas, who is also responsible for the University’s flagship Health Innovation Campus, said: “Clay Fields presents an exciting opportunity for us to work with LSCft and wider partners – for this once-in-a-generation ambitious project, collaboration will be the key to success.

“Lancaster University can support the project in a wide range of ways. This could be through our excellence in data science, leadership, design, sustainability, health technologies – the list goes on. In the context of such a forward-thinking development, the opportunity lies in the breadth and depth of our combined strengths.

“LSCft and the project master planners have illustrated a commitment to innovation and collaboration throughout our conversations and we are delighted to be involved – to help drive the project forward, through our world-leading research and evaluation, and through our networks and partnerships.”

Dr Andy Harrod, Senior Teaching Associate in Human Geography at Lancaster University, added: "The Clay Fields initiative is exciting as it seeks to engage with the green and blue outdoor spaces on site to support evidence-based practices for both inpatients, and the wider community.

“This will lead to the co-creation of a preventive and restorative place, which has at its heart a relationship between members of the community, the NHS and nature, in support of human and ecological wellbeing."

Since acquiring the site, LSCft has been working with key stakeholders to develop a new long-term vision for its future.

Initial proposals are for the site to be split into four zones, one of which will include NHS services. The site will retain the beautiful outdoor space for which it is known, and which is ideal for mental health recovery but also offers so many opportunities for local people, businesses and wider partnerships.

Ursula Martin, Deputy CEO and Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer at LSCft, said: “It has been great for us to speak to so many people and really get to the heart of what local people, businesses and key partners would like to see on the site in the future.

“Our vision for Clay Fields is beyond what people would consider to be a traditional NHS site. We want to create a community for restorative and regenerative health and wellbeing.

“We have an exciting journey ahead of us that, over the next ten years, could open opportunities for heath, wellbeing and new models of preventative and recovery-based care.”