Expanding and upgrading a health centre to accommodate new patients and community services

Blackburn with Darwin CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) strategy has set out a plan to have fewer but larger practices delivering care for their local populations within a neighbourhood setting. This is consistent with the Five-Year Forward View, the Long Term Plan, and various commissioning and clinical estates strategies.

In line with this strategy, in 2018 the Shifa Practice took over the patient list of another surgery, doubling its list to almost 12,000, serving the local population from one health hub.

However, the building was not large enough for this expanded community of patients, and although it was in reasonable condition (being a 1990s build) it would benefit from modernisation.

We led an options appraisal, assessing the relative strengths and challenges of relocating to a new site, refurbishing the existing site, and expanding the existing site with new construction.

The team concluded that staying on the existing site, refurbishing/reconfiguring it, and extending the building was the best option. This would upgrade the existing health centre to make it fit for purpose and create enough space to house combined primary care and community facilities. It was the most pragmatic solution to existing service demand and was the most financially viable and deliverable within a reasonable timeframe.

We are now two thirds of the way through the construction project, running on time and budget, and will update this case study as we progress through the project to completion.