New £5m health centre welcomes patients in Cinderford
Patients in Cinderford and the surrounding area are set to benefit from the town’s brand new £5 million health centre which opened this week.
The highly anticipated facility on Valley Road heralds a real transformation in GP services in the area and replaces the town’s existing health centre which houses both Dockham Surgery and Forest Health Care.
Constructed by local contractor Speller Metcalfe, the new centre has been built to modern, environmentally-friendly, state-of-the art specifications, and includes 20 multi-purpose consulting rooms, nurse treatment areas and first-rate facilities for reception and administration staff, making it a great environment for both patients and staff.
Considerable thought, planning and effort went into ensuring that the building is accessible and welcoming to all its patients, young and old and those with disabilities.
Developers and GP surgery staff worked alongside dementia experts to ensure the new building is dementia-friendly.
To mark completion of structural work in January, local pupils buried a time capsule with the theme “surgery of the future” – in an area of the scheme that has since been repurposed into a community allotment feature.
It has a number of special features to make it welcoming for people living with dementia and those with disabilities and offers enhanced infection control standards for both patients and staff.
Dr Ingalill Sandys, GP at Dockham Surgery, said: “We are thrilled to be opening the doors of our wonderful new surgery to our patients.
We have put a lot of thought, hard work and passion into creating an attractive and contemporary building and pleasant surrounding environment and we hope it will feel welcoming to all our patients, including those with dementia.
We really needed this new health centre to ensure we can continue to provide high quality services and meet the ever-increasing health and care needs of our growing population for years to come. ”
Dr Deborah Lane, GP at Forest Health Care, said: “After many years of careful planning we are delighted to be in our new premises which enables us offer a broader range of services to patients.
We have placed a real focus on ensuring that the building and staff can really support people living with dementia. For example, people with dementia can find it difficult to read everyday signs and may require help to find their way around. We will have signs that include symbols and pictures, which can be easier for people to understand.”
Helen Goodey, Director of Primary Care at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This is a fabulous development for Cinderford, and we are delighted that patients and staff can benefit from facilities that are fit for modern healthcare in such an attractive environment.”
The new medical centre will also champion the power of growing and the outdoors to support health and wellbeing with its own community allotment where local people can grow fruit and vegetables, linking into local social prescribing initiatives.
Jon Webb, Senior Development Manager at Assura, said: “We’re immensely proud of the team and the effort everyone has put in over many years to get to this stage. It’s just the start of a long-term partnership that we know will really boost Cinderford. It’s a very exciting time when facilities like this finally open to patients. From the allotment, to the solar power, to the special wayfinding system this project has a number of special features that will benefit a wide range of local stakeholders – maximising social impact in the town and surrounding areas.”
Mark Hudgeon, Regional Director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “Speller Metcalfe is extremely proud to hand over the new medical centre to the residents of Cinderford, which will have a positive impact on the local community for years to come. The team has worked extremely hard during the current COVID crisis to reach a successful completion, and we are delighted to see the doors open this August.”
