A major milestone in the construction of the £15million Eastwood Health and Care Centre in Clarkston took place today when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Shona Robison MSP, cut the first sod at a special ceremony.
The new modern, state-of-the-art health and care centre which will serve the whole of the Eastwood area of East Renfrewshire will house GP practices, district nursing, health visitors, social work, physiotherapy and podiatry services as well as mental health services.
In addition the Centre will be home to a community enterprise in the form of a cafe run as an employability project.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Shona Robison MSP, said: Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, Shona Robison MSP, said: “I’m delighted to be here today to mark the beginning of work on the new Eastwood Health and Care Centre.
“This centre will bring together local NHS and council services in the Eastwood area, important as we continue to work towards the full integration of health and social care.
“The Scottish Government is investing over £2 billion in Scotland’s health infrastructure over the spending review period, with this development being one of many that demonstrate the Scottish Government’s commitment to continually improving health services.”
The innovative new Centre will offer the community the ability to see a wide range of health and social care services all under the one roof for the first time. The Centre will also enable East Renfrewshire Health and Care Partnership to further integrate health and care along with wider council and third sector services.
The Centre is being constructed on the site of the former Isobel Mair School at Drumby Crescent, Clarkston and the building is expected to be completed by Spring 2016.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Chairman, Andrew Robertson, said: “I am delighted to see the commencement of construction of this new Centre which will provide high quality health and social care facilities under one roof. I am also particularly pleased that the entire facility has been designed not just for the present but to be flexible to accommodate new services in the future and provide a variety of spaces for groups to come together for mutual support.
Leader of East Renfrewshire Council, Cllr Jim Fletcher, said: “The new Eastwood Health and Care Centre is the culmination of a huge amount of partnership work between East Renfrewshire Council, NHS, hub West Scotland and Scottish Futures Trust. Its construction will enable us to serve the whole of the Eastwood area in a modern ‘fit for purpose’ building. It means for the first time we will be able to house a number of services under one roof to give us a holistic approach to delivering health and social care to patients.”
The design and construction of the new Centre is being undertaken by Hub West Scotland, a development partner to the public sector, formed to build community facilities through a collaborative approach to procurement.
Bill Matthews, Chairman of HUB West of Scotland said: “Eastwood Health and Care Centre is our largest project to commence on site to date. It is the first health and care centre to use the Reference Design, which will set a precedent for affordable, quality and sustainable healthcare facilities for the future. As a local resident, and Chairman of hub West Scotland, I am proud to see this outstanding project being delivered in my area.”
Hub West Scotland has appointed Morgan Sindall plc as main contractor and Gareth Hoskins as architects for this project.
Harry Thorburn MD for Scotland at Morgan Sindall said: “This new centre will have a hugely beneficial impact on the local community and we are proud to be given the opportunity to deliver the building on behalf of the NHS.
”This is the latest project we are delivering through the hub West Scotland framework and it is a relationship we value enormously. Furthermore, it underscores our commitment to providing our customers with high-quality buildings which are value for money and meet the needs of the community’s future generations.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The CHCP is a partnership between East Renfrewshire Council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGG&C) and brings together local community and primary care health services from NHSGG&C and social work services from East Renfrewshire Council.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is one of a number of public sector shareholders in Hub West Scotland Limited, a partnership with private sector companies, formed to build community facilities through a collaborative approach to procurement.
Hub West Scotland is a public private joint venture organisation established to develop and deliver value for money property solutions for its public sector partners.
The arrangement also allows for funding support from the Scottish Government’s Scottish Future Trust for investment in primary healthcare facilities and schools.
For more information contact the press office, tel: 0141 201 4429 or email: press.office@ggc.scot.nhs.uk