An £8 million pioneering health hub built to benefit thousands of patients in west Hull has been completed and is just weeks away from opening.
Hailed as a beacon of future primary care services, the newly completed state-of-the-art West Hull Health Hub replaces the existing Springhead Medical Centre, which has operated at full capacity from dated facilities for almost seven decades.
An anticipated increase in patient numbers and huge challenges to integrate services in the right location saw the practice limited to just GP services without scope for expansion at the current premises.
Now, West Hull Health Hub is set to be handed over to development partner Citycare by Sewell Construction, ready for tenants Modality Partnership (Hull) to move in.
It will integrate services under one roof within the community with the aim of limiting the need for hospital admission or care.
The new two-storey building has 32 clinical rooms, including GP and nurse consulting rooms, treatment rooms, clinical support areas and office accommodation, as well as a reception and waiting area, a wheelchair accessible lift, baby changing area and buggy parking, a pharmacy and adjacent car park.
West Hull Health Hub is expected to open to patients in mid-December 2021 and the building adds to Citycare’s existing portfolio of 13 other state-of-the-art health centres delivered across the city in partnership with NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and primary care providers.
The new health hub is part of Modality Partnership Hull Division which has a total of more than 60,000 patients across four sites in the city. Modality Partnership also works in collaboration with four other practices in Hull as part of a Primary Care Network (PCN).
Dr Bushra Ali, GP and Partner at Modality Partnership and member of the NHS Hull CCG Board, said: “Reaching the point where West Hull Health Hub is almost ready to open has been many years in the planning and to see it rise from the ground and take shape over the past year has been incredible.
“It will make such a difference to patients and clinicians, providing greater access to existing and improved health services, increased appointments and more flexibility and space in a fit-for-purpose environment.
“We need to have the facilities to adapt and be flexible, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and this much-needed facility will benefit thousands of patients in west Hull.
“Thank you to NHS Hull CCG and Citycare for their unwavering vision to make this a reality.”
Erica Daley, Chief Operating Officer at NHS Hull CCG, said: “The new West Hull Health Hub is a much-welcomed and long-awaited development for the west of the city, which will provide first class premises for a range of clinical services for patients of Springhead Medical Practice.
“Everyone involved in this important development is looking forward to the day, now only a few weeks away, when the new building opens, and the first patients start to access services.
“Congratulations to the practice and the team behind the construction of the hub. We’re very proud to have this fantastic new building to add to Hull’s other outstanding healthcare facilities.”
Invited guests and stakeholders were invited to tour the facility as the building was handed over by Sewell Construction.
Independent Chair and former Health Secretary and Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson said: “We’re delighted to see the completion of West Hull Health Hub.
“It has taken many years to bring it to fruition but the hard work and dedication of all the partners involved has made this fantastic building a reality, which is truly something to be celebrated.
“As the local estates provider and working in partnership with local NHS and primary care providers, Citycare are the go-to specialists with a proven 15-year track record of delivering these fit-for-purpose models.
“Despite changes in healthcare and the NHS over the years, Citycare is still here and has the flexibility to respond to those changes with a strong, adaptable team. I have no doubt West Hull Health Hub will bring great benefit to patients in west Hull for many generations to come.”
Citycare Chief Executive Tim Wigglesworth said: “West Hull Health Hub is the start of a new era and builds on the estate Citycare already has in Hull.
“There is a really big push for healthcare to be delivered within communities and pulled away from hospital-based settings and this new building will address that and provide a completely fresh start for Modality. The new state-of-the-art facilities are fantastic for patients in this part of the city and we’re grateful to our partners at Sewell Construction who have delivered such a high-quality building for this community.”
Sewell Construction Project Manager Dave Major said: “We went with the strapline ‘the journey starts now’, as we wanted to people to think about health as we built the health centre.
“We realise the importance of general and mental health and we also have two mental health first aiders on site.
“Maximising the social value our activities have on the communities we work in is hugely important to us. At West Hull Health Hub, it has been a privilege to be able to engage with and give back to the workforce, local residents and the wider community on many levels.”
