St Luke’s Health Centre Opens Doors in New Building

On 7 September, the doors of the newly improved St Luke’s Health Centre will open for the first time.  The practice run by Virgincare was previously housed on the same site in Southend in portacabins.

In total, the Health Centre has seen £1.4 million being invested into it through its landlord, NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and the NHS centrally. The work included the reorganisation and renovation of part of the Cumberlege Intermediate Care Centre to provide space for a fully equipped medical practice.

During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, work to the property experienced some delays, but project Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHSPS worked hand-in-glove to deliver the project and get patients through the door this autumn.

A second phase of works will complete next year on the site where St Luke’s previously stood to create car parking for the surgery, increasing access to the Health Centre’s vital services.

The Health Centre will provide modern and sustainable facilities to enable excellent patient care for years to come.

Barry Clark, Principal Construction Manager, NHS Property Services said: “We are delighted to have been able to deliver these major improvements to this facility and give it a brand new home in conjunction with Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group. We hope that the work will provide a great place to deliver and receive care going forward and look forward to making further improvements to the site next year.”