GPs, staff and patients gathered this week to mark the official completion of the £3.4m Morrill Street health and wellbeing campus in east Hull.
The existing centre, which was built 30 years ago, has undergone a significant refurbishment and a new annex building, The New Green Surgery, has been built alongside.
The modernised campus is now fit to house a variety of health and community services for local people and has created better working environments for staff.
Louise Ramsay, area team manager of NHS Property Services, which commissioned the revamp, said: “We needed to make the best use of the existing space as we knew the health centre was in the best location for its community. It’s in the heart of a residential area, on a bus route and close to local shops, but logistically the building was not working.”
It’s a much nicer environment to sit and wait to see the doctor. I think it’s made it much better for our patients and has brought us into the 21st Century
Local estates partners from NHS Property Services and Hull Citycare, which have delivered 12 other health and community centres across the city over the last 10 years, spent time with staff and the local community to come up with an affordable, but logistically-achievable solution.
Ramsay said: “Our solution provides the practices and community services with more suitable space, but with flexibility, as services will continue to evolve over the coming years. The response has been really positive; staff and patients are really pleased with the outcome.”
Angela Gardner, practice manager at The New Green Surgery, added: “It’s a much nicer environment to sit and wait to see the doctor. I think it’s made it much better for our patients and has brought us into the 21st Century.”
Lynne McLeod, reception supervisor at Morrill Street Group Practice, added: “Everything they’ve done has been fantastic. It makes visitors feel better when they come into the centre. It makes us feel better, the staff have a positive attitude and I think that comes across to the patients.”
The development of the Morrill Street campus has been described as an early example of how the public sector will make the best use of existing facilities and maximise their value by reconfiguring them to suit 21st-century service needs.
Charles Lewis, chairman of Hull Citycare, the organisation that developed the Morrill Street campus on behalf of NHS Property Services, said: “It’s all about working together to find new and innovative ways to improve access to services, while getting best value for the public purse. Albeit a complex solution to deliver, a campus with services across two facilities was the right solution for the patients and staff at Morrill Street, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Dan Roper, clinical chairman at NHS Hull clinical commissioning group, added: “These facilities play an integral role in service transformation. Local people want to visit the doctor or nurse in a calming, welcoming environment that’s ideally placed close to other local amenities, making the visit a convenient trip.The revitalised Morrill Street campus is exactly that.”