New health centre opens at Goodman’s Fields

Goodman’s Fields Medical Practice marked its official opening on Friday (24 September) by hosting a visit from Mayor John Biggs and representatives from the partners who made it possible.

Attendees were given a tour of the new centre to see first-hand the creative design and state-of-the-art facilities that provide extra capacity and flexibility to enable the NHS and its local partners to meet increasing demand from the 7,500 people expected to move into the area by 2033.

The centre provides a new home for two local GP practices – Whitechapel Health and East One Health – Deancross Street – which have come together as one: Goodman’s Fields Medical Practice. The new practice has the resources and capacity to offer a wider range of primary care network services and will provide access to specialist clinics to help with managing long-term conditions and outpatient services, more traditionally accessed at hospital.

Dr Saffan Qureshi, one of the GPs moving to the new practice from Whitechapel Health Centre, said: “The new premises will be a real boost for local patients and for the teams that care for them. This investment in modern buildings and facilities for healthcare is exactly what our local communities need.

“As well as a better environment for primary care, we believe Goodman’s Fields will help prevent illness and support better mental and physical health by being a much-needed community hub.”

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: “It’s vital that we invest in our health infrastructure to support better health outcomes for local people and I’m delighted that we’re able to make this investment in Goodman’s Fields to provide the facilities that our residents need.

“The new health centre will provide high quality services, add capacity as our borough’s population continues to grow, and is just one example of how we’re investing in local services and working to address barriers to good health.”

Lukey Begum, of the practice’s Patient Participation Group, said: “I’m extremely excited about Goodman’s Fields Health Centre opening. I’ve been involved with the planning of the centre along with a few patients, Whitechapel Health Centre and local NHS commissioners in Tower Hamlets for a very long time – and it’s finally happening.

“I’m very happy to be a part of this wonderful project which the local patients will benefit from.”

Selina Douglas, Managing Director, NHS North East London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “The opening of Goodman’s Fields is the fruition of many years of partnership working, planning and investment into providing the absolute best in healthcare for local people.

“Our ambition for north east London is to provide the highest standards of care, in high quality facilities that provide a wide range of services at the heart of the communities we serve. We will continue to work with local partners as we drive up standards and address the health inequalities we face in Tower Hamlets and across north east London.”

Jake Roe, Regional Partnership Director (London), NHS Property Services, said: “We are delighted to be a partner in the delivery of this large-scale project.  We have worked closely with AT Medics, the CCG and our delivery partners, Aecom and Borras Construction, to align the look, design and functionality of the Health Centre with local health needs.  We are particularly proud of the natural aesthetics of the scheme, providing a more calming and pleasant environment for the practice’s patients.

“We are confident that this will enable the practice, to continue to deliver excellent patient care locally in a building that is both fit for purpose and has the space to accommodate an ever-growing patient list.”

Brian McKenzie, Operations Director, Berkeley Homes (North East London Ltd), said: “Goodman’s Fields has transformed into an important community hub and an exciting, popular destination, not just for our residents but for the many people who work in and visit Aldgate.

“Berkeley is proud of our track record of creating cohesive and sustainable places that prioritise wellbeing; Goodman’s Fields is a true testament of our commitment to deliver successful communities and we are proud of our continued involvement here. We very much welcome this new, state-of-the-art NHS healthcare facility – it is an important, efficient new community asset which will serve the needs of local people for decades to come.”

The development is a partnership between North East London CCG, NHS England, Tower Hamlets Council, NHS Property Services Ltd and Berkeley Homes. This partnership approach is supporting the provision of high quality healthcare services across the borough in modern, high spec facilities that will transform health and care services for local people.