Construction work at a new £7m Medical Centre in Stourport will begin on site in early July. The Medical Centre, developed for Wyre Forest Health Partnership (WFHP), expects to welcome its first patients in Autumn 2021. The state-of-the-art facility will replace two of the town's doctors' surgeries that are outdated and no longer fit for purpose, serving c22,000 of the town’s residents. Developer, gbpartnerships’ skilled and experienced Development Team will oversee the build through to commissioning, with Wolverhampton based Principal Contractor, Arthur M. Griffiths & Son Ltd (AMG), delivering the work on-site. gbpartnerships have employed an experienced and professional design team comprising: West Hart Partnership architects, Copeland Wedge Associates structural and civil engineers, Engineering Services Consultancy mechanical and electrical engineering and Greenwood Projects for quantity surveying and H&S advisory services. gbpartnerships’ in-house Consultancy Team worked with GPs from WFHP’s York House and Stourport Health Centre surgeries to develop an outline business case and the subsequent full business case. With the Development Team - led by Development Director Ian Tuddenham - working to identify a suitable site, conduct due diligence and manage all design development, technical and legal matters. gbpartnerships worked closely with Assura plc, which is funding the development and will become the building’s long-term owner and property partner. Assura are the largest specialist investor in Primary Care Estate in the UK and already have an existing relationship with WFHP, owning both their Kidderminster and Bewdley Medical Centres.
A grant from NHS England’s Estates and Technology Transformation Fund (ETTF) was key in securing the redevelopment of this key primary care estate and in ensuring the future of primary and community care for the community it serves.
Clare Nock, Chief Executive at Wyre Forest Health Partnership commented: “This was a complex project to bring together and gbpartnerships worked with great commitment & determination to turn the building from an ambition to a reality. The new Medical Centre will enable us to offer patients a wider range of services, in a building fit for 21st century primary care. We are really looking forward to moving in.”
Ian Tuddenham, Development Director at gbpartnerships commented: “I’m extremely pleased to see this important facility commencing on site, it has taken a lot of hard work to find and secure a site and bring forward the project with a backdrop of tight NHS timescales. Team working between gbp, WFHP and Assura will result in a fantastic modern facility for the patients and staff of Stourport.” Jonathan Webb, Senior Development Manager at Assura Group commented: “Infrastructure has a key role to play in the economic recovery from COVID and to see vital NHS schemes like this moving forward in such difficult times is so encouraging, not just for the modern facilities it will create for patients and staff, but also for local jobs and the supply chain. We are especially pleased to further grow our relationship with gbpartnerships and Wyre Forest Health Partnership”