Work has commenced on a new £9.5million health centre to help support the delivery of locally integrated healthcare services.
Hadrian Health Centre is another step toward improving health and community services for those that live in the Wallsend and surrounding areas.
The new centre, which will become the new home for Park Road Medical Practice and Portugal Place Health Centre as well as a range of community health services for more than 20,000 patients, is set to transform healthcare services in the area when in opens in Summer 2022.
Located next to the Forum Shopping Centre, the new building is being built to modern, environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art specifications.
It will include both consulting and treatment rooms, light and airy spaces for patients and dedicated training areas as well as offering convenient links to public transport.
The two practices will be able to share resources and work more flexibly, offering extended opening times to patients, whilst more doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals will be able to receive training within the building.
Dr Kerry Burnett, GP from Park Road Medical Practice, said: “We’re all so excited to see that work on our new health centre is getting underway.
“Not only will it make it easier for patients to access a range of services all in the same building but the new centre is also located just a few hundred metres from the old surgeries.”
Dr Nathalie Ellis, GP from Portugal Place Health Centre, said: “The practice is really looking forward to moving into the new building.
“Providing the best possible service to those in our communities has always been our top priority and having this new health centre will certainly help us continue to do this well into the future.”
North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group, clinical chair, Richard Scott said: “As North Tyneside’s population continues to grow, this new health centre will mean the practices can continue to meet the ever-increasing health and care needs of patients in what is going to be a fantastic new building for local people.”
Community services operated by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which currently operate from within Wallsend Health Centre, will also move into the new health centre. These include: district nursing, mental health concern, talking therapies, neuro rehabilitation/physio, podiatry, speech and language therapy and office administration.
Teresa Creighton, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s deputy director of community services, said: “This new health centre, right in the heart of Wallsend, will ensure patients will be able to access a range of primary care and community healthcare services all under one roof and it will be easy for them to get there with nearby transport links.
“This is an excellent example of how we can integrate healthcare services and ensure that patients are at the centre of delivering this care.”
It is anticipated the new building will take 15 months to complete and is being funded by Assura, the national primary care premises specialist who will also work as the practices’ long-term premises partner.
Andrew Cooper, Assura, Senior Development Manager, said: “As ever, this is a real team effort and the whole project team including the practices, CCG and Trust are excited to finally bring forward this transformational development that will benefit the whole community in Wallsend.”
