Publish date: 21 March 2023
New health centre brings together health services in Wallsend
Hadrian Health Centre in Wallsend town centre celebrated its opening with wellness champions from a local school as the new centre is set to transform health services in the area.
The centre is the new home of local GP practices Park Road Medical Centre and Portugal Place Health Centre who have now merged as Hadrian Health Centre and is joined by a range of community health services provided by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The new £9.5 million development, in the heart of Wallsend near The Forum shopping centre, brings together a range of healthcare services in a modern, state-of-the-art building. The move into the new building has helped the long-term sustainability of the GP practices enabling them to offer high quality and modern health services for their patients. This was difficult in their old premises which were ageing, lack adequate space and with challenges around both access and parking for patients visiting the surgeries.
The GP practice occupies the whole of the ground floor along with some space on the first floor. The remaining first and second floor of the building is occupied by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which provides a range of community services including diabetes, district nursing, podiatry, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and North Tyneside Talking Therapies.
Dr Joo Li Ng, a GP from Hadrian Health Centre, said: "We now have wonderful first-class facilities. This is a vast improvement for our patients. Our previous premises were ageing, we lacked adequate space, and accessibility was an issue. Here, we also have a range of services located in one building, making it easier for our patients to get the treatments they need. It's such a welcoming environment."
Dr Nathalie Ellis, a GP from Hadrian Health Centre, added: "Feedback from patients has been really positive since we moved which is great to hear after all the hard work that went into this project. Staff are also delighted to be in the new building which is a lovely environment to work in."
Children from Western Community Primary School in Wallsend joined invited guests to help officially open the building. The children who are wellness champions at the local school have helped create a raft of brightly painted pebble stones inspired by the theme wellness which are placed in the health centre's courtyard garden.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s general manager in community health services, Stephanie Wardle, said: “We are delighted to be part of this fantastic project which improves the provision of integrated and accessible healthcare in the heart of Wallsend. The new, modern, and bright environment will not only improve both patient and staff experience but will also support and enable closer working between our community services and primary care, which will ensure patient care is even more joined up. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in all the hard work to make this happen.”
Anya Paradis, director of place for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: "This new facility will help transform healthcare services in the area as it brings together local clinicians and a range of community health services, in a convenient location for the local community, as well as helping the regeneration of Wallsend town centre."
The centre was built by local contractor, Esh Construction, and is managed by Assura, a national primary care premises specialist who have funded the development and who will be the long-term property partner to the GPs.
Andrew Cooper, Assura development director, said: “We're proud to see this building open, it's now giving local people the primary and community care services they need all in one modern health centre. This development could not have been delivered without the hard work and dedication of all parties involved, everyone should be very proud."
Pictures by Andrew Heptinstall Photography