New medical annex under development in North West London

Work has begun on a project to expand a London health centre and provide much-needed extra space for its tenants.

Contractors are currently stripping out the old Post Office building next-door to Hesa Primary Care Centre in Hayes, North West London, and will soon be knocking it through to create an annex to the health centre.

One of the two GP practices based in the building will move into the old Post Office, which will retain some of its original features, while an internal redesign of the building will mean the second practice will gain three additional consulting rooms and space for records storage, with added reception and waiting space helping to improve the environment for patients and staff.

Sue Hardy, deputy director of estates for NHS Property Services in North West London, said: “My team has been working to secure the expansion of Hesa Primary Care Centre for around three years, so we are delighted that work has begun.

“Because Hayes is so close to Heathrow airport, the area has some unique public health challenges and has experienced significant population growth since Hesa was first built. These upgrades to the building will not only equip its tenants to meet these challenges in the future, they will allow Hesa to become a genuine hub for healthcare in this growing community.”

The extension work is being funded by capital from NHS Property Services and also Section 106 money from residential developers working nearby.

The project is being delivered by Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon LIFT.

The internal redesign will see both GP practices located on the ground floor, with the community services moved to the first floor. The new design will improve disabled access, enable community-based services to be located together, and increase capacity for other out-of-hospital services.

The conversion of the Old Post Office is expected to be complete by 6 June, while the whole project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.