Work starts on £8.5m health centre in Stechford

Apr 29 2008 By Alison Dayani

WORK has started on an £8.5 million new health centre in Birmingham to boost services for 13,000 residents.

A turf-cutting ceremony marked the beginning of the development to provide a "one stop shop" of GPs, physiotherapists and dentists in Richmond Road, Stechford.

Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust is behind the scheme, which is set to increase the amount of NHS dentistry provision and provide up to four GP surgeries along with district nurses, health visitors and mental health workers based at the Richmond Health Centre.

Physiotherapy services are being relocated to the site from the Swan Centre, Yardley.

Builders are now getting to work on the centre, which is due to open its doors to patients in the spring of next year.

Jonathan Tringham, director of resources at the trust, said: "It is very exciting that work has begun on the new Richmond Health Centre. It will bring a much wider range of services together under one roof, giving patients a greater service offering based in the local community.

"The larger, purpose built centre will also enable us to expand service provision in important and pressurised areas like NHS dentistry."

The new health centre is part of a series of new developments across north and east Birmingham under the Local Improvement Finance Trust Project with Birmingham and Solihull Solutions.

John Taylor, project chairman, said: "We are delighted to be involved in the delivery of another major new community facility which will not only dramatically improve the patient experience and provide staff with a modern, fit for purpose building, but contribute to Stechford's regeneration."

At the ceremony with Mr Taylor and Mr Tringham were Donna Macarthur, PCT associate director of primary care commissioning, Richard Cutler, of Prime, Jon Davies, of Thomas Vale, and Janet Down and Brendan O'Brien, PCT non executive directors.