£11m health centre heralds new era

The new reception

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A NEW multi-million pound health centre is set to open its doors to around 20,000 patients next month.

The Werneth Primary Care Centre, in Featherstall Road South, which cost over £11 million, will see services provisionally move in on the weekend of December 9.

Four Werneth GP practices — Kapur Family Care, Danson Family Practice, Dr Sidhur’s Practice and Werneth Medical Practice — will be the first to move in.

A month later, community services including health visitors, district nurses, services for children with additional needs currently based at the Woodfield Centre, podiatry, contraception and sexual health services and counselling services will make the new centre their home.

A Lloyds pharmacy will be situated on the ground floor and other services may be provided, depending on patient need.

The four-storey building is officially the most environmentally-friendly primary healthcare building in the UK.

Its A+ energy performance rating is down to:

A combined heat and power system, which runs on a bio-fuel made from cooking oil used to fry food such as crisps and fried chicken.

underfloor heating and a cooling system, powered by air-source heat pumps.

rainwater harvesting and insulation.

Dr Janet Day, from Kapur Family Care, said: “We aim to provide our patients with high-quality care and a positive experience overall.

“This new building will provide us with the facilities we need to achieve this and to continue developing and improving our services.”

Shauna Dixon, from NHS Oldham, said: “People in Werneth experience some of the poorest health in Oldham and this new centre provides an opportunity for them to access a wide range of health and wellbeing facilities in one place, in significantly improved surrounbings.

“This is the final new development which NHS Oldham will lead. Over the last six years we have delivered major improvements to primary care facilities as part of the Local Improvement Finance Trust programme with our private and public-sector partners.

“Through these improvements we believe we are leaving a lasting legacy to improve health for people in Oldham.”

Community 1st Oldham is the local company that has led this development and all other health developments on behalf of NHS Oldham.

Neil Charlesworth, general manager, said: “We are so proud of what our partnership with NHS Oldham has achieved over the last few years and the impact it has made to transform so many communities across Oldham.

“The new primary care centre is a fantastic facility for the GPs, local health teams and communities in Werneth and we look forward to the centre opening.”

An open day will be held in early December for the public to tour the centre and ask any questions they have.

For more information visit www.community1stoldham.co.uk.