Retired Patient Participation Group (PPG) Chair, Maureen Howes, joined Stourport Medical Centre staff, senior NHS representatives and other invited guests to officially open the new £7m Stourport Medical Centre on Saturday 12th November.
The new Medical Centre opened its doors to patients earlier in the summer, and since then, both patients and staff have enjoyed the modern and accessible building which replaced the town's two outdated doctors’ surgeries.
The official opening event provided an opportunity to celebrate and recognised the joint achievements of all those involved in seeing the new development through to completion, led by specialist primary and community care premises developer gbpartnerships, on behalf of Wyre Forest Health Partnership (WFHP).
Stourport Medical Centre Site manager, Donna Davies welcomed guests before handing over to Maureen Howes, who commented. “I became involved in the Stourport PPG nearly 20 years ago and as a retired Councillor and ex Nurse with a background in social work, I felt I may be able to give back in a meaningful way. Over the years as a PPG we fundraised for a whole host of equipment that was used in the old Stourport GP surgeries, and so, it is with great pleasure that I am stood here today to officially open this new Medical Centre that I am sure will go on to serve the people of Stourport for many generations to come.”
Simon Trickett, NHS Hereford & Worcestershire ICB Chief Executive commented: “I am delighted to see this new Medical Centre official open. The development of this new primary care estate in Stourport is vital in ensuring the future of primary care for the locality and will serve c22,000 of the town’s residents."
Nick Smith, gbpartnerships Senior Development Manager followed on from Simon, commenting: “Developments such as the new Stourport Medical Centre come about by strong partnership working and lots of hard work - by many of you who are here today. It’s been a pleasure to work on this project and I’d like to extend special thanks to Donna and her team and also to Key Construction who completed the construction of this important new health and wellbeing centre.
Clare Nock, Chief Executive at Wyre Forest Health Partnership said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved in the delivery of this excellent new healthcare facility. This was a complex project to bring together and it has taken a great degree of commitment and determination on all sides to turn the building from an ambition to a reality."
Donna also thanked gbpartnerships for their £4,000 donation to Leapgate Activity Centre in Stourport, a charity providing much needed support to adults with learning disabilities, she said: “Leapgate Activity Centre are doing an excellent job of helping adults with special needs to learn, grow and achieve by providing meaningful activities in a stimulating, safe and social environment. I am thrilled that gbpartnerships are supporting their work, which is making such a big difference to the local community.”
Jon Webb, for Assura, said: “This has been a fantastic project and one which we are very proud to have been a part of. The community in Stourport have needed a new facility like this and it will be a major asset in the delivery of Primary Care for many years to come.”
After the opening event formalities guests were shown around the building, which has been praised by the CQC for the overall quality of design and particularly for the clear and bold signage designs used throughout the building.
Gbpartnerships initially worked with GPs and the team from Wyre Forest Health Partnership’s York House and Stourport Health Centre surgeries to understand current building utilisation and what accommodation was required for the future. The team then developed successful business cases, which secured an NHS Capital Grant and CCG revenue support.
Gbpartnerships then negotiated the site purchase, obtained planning permission and, in conjunction with Key Construction, completed construction of the building. We worked closely with the gbpartnerships development team on funding for the development and we are now the building’s long-term owner and property partner to WFHP.