Turf cutting ceremony marks start of work on Washwood Heath Health and Wellbeing Centre

A special turf cutting ceremony held on Friday (22nd January) in Washwood Heath marks the start of work on NHS Birmingham East and North’s new health and wellbeing centre, which will open its doors in summer 2011.

Liam Byrne MP joined local councillors, staff and partners for a tour of the Washwood Heath Health Centre in Clodeshall Road, Saltley, where both the Oakleaf Medical Practice and the Washwood Heath Urgent Care Centre are based, before visiting the site further down the road and cutting the turf where the new £15m Washwood Heath Health and Wellbeing Centre will be built.

Both Oakleaf Medical Practice and the Urgent Care Centre will move to the new centre when it opens in summer 2011, along with a range of other services including health visiting, district nursing, physiotherapy and pain management. There will also be a pharmacy, community café and welfare and employment advice centre.

Liam Byrne said: “Today we celebrate the beginning of an exciting journey for the people of Washwood Heath. Bringing a GP practice, pharmacy, community café and advice centre under one roof will add heart and soul to the community. I’d like to thank everyone who has worked so hard over the last five years to make it happen.”

Paul Sabapathy CBE, Chairman for NHS Birmingham East and North said: “I am delighted to be celebrating the start of works on this great new centre and would like to thank everyone who has been involved in making this day possible.”

Richard Cutler, Development Director of Prime plc, added: “This is an important day for Washwood Heath. I think everyone is very proud of what has been achieved to date and we look forward to the new Washwood Heath Health and Wellbeing Centre opening its doors to patients in the near future.”

Ends

Photo caption (from left to right): Richard Cutler, Development Director of Prime; Dr Waheed, GP at Oakleaf Medical Practice; Richard Laing, Prime Group Chair; Liam Byrne MP; Paul Sabapathy, Chairman, NHS Birmingham East and North; Pat Meally, Manager, Washwood Heath Urgent Care Centre and Gavin Walters, One Creative Environments (Architects).

Enquiries

For more information, please contact Niki McGrath, NHS Birmingham East and North External Communications Manager, on 0121 380 0620.

Notes for editors

Oakleaf Medical Practice

The Oakleaf Medical Practice, based at Washwood Heath Health Centre, Clodeshall Road, Saltley, offers patients access to male and female GPs, a wide range of health clinics as well as extended opening hours including evening and weekend appointments. It is open from 8am to 8pm Mondays and Thursdays, 8am to 6.30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.

Washwood Heath Urgent Care Centre

The Urgent Care Centre offers patients a walk-in confidential service for a range of minor illnesses and injuries, from rashes and earaches, to minor wounds and burns. They also provide emergency contraception. The centre is open 9am to 6.30pm every day except Thursday and Fridays, with plans to extend the opening times in the near future.

New Washwood Heath Health and Wellbeing Centre

The Washwood Heath Health and Wellbeing Centre will offer local residents a range health and wellbeing services when it opens in summer 2011, including a GP practice, urgent care centre, health visiting, district nursing, physiotherapy and pain management. In addition, there will also be a pharmacy, community café and welfare and employment advice centre.  The £15m centre is a Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) partnership scheme between the NHS, Prime and the Community Health Partnership.

The centre is jointly funded by NHS Birmingham East and North, Heart of Birmingham, South Birmingham Primary Care Trust, Solihull Primary Care Trust (20%), 20% by the Community Health Partnership and 60% by Prime.

NHS Birmingham East and North

NHS Birmingham East and North is one of 152 primary care trusts within the English NHS. As a PCT it is responsible for the wise investment of public money to ensure health improvement, access to health services and where appropriate the provision of health services to a local population of some 438,000 people, across 17 wards across north and east Birmingham.

In summary we organise and fund the delivery of health care with the involvement of local people, maximising health outcomes for every pound spent – this is often referred to as commissioning.

The trust’s website can be accessed at www.benpct.nhs.uk