£500k Community Health Partnerships investment in remodelled space offers families maternity options in the local community
Families in St Helens received a boost with an expanded midwifery-led maternity unit at Lowe House Primary Care Resource Centre (PCRC) operating since 2024.
Lowe House was built in 2010 under the NHS LIFT Programme that brings together Community Health Partnerships, a key part of the NHS family (head tenant), with Renova (LIFTCo) – an investor in 17 community healthcare facilities in the North West. Located near the town centre, the three-storey Lowe House PCRC already provides a range of health and social care services under one roof; the key partners regularly look at new ways to adapt and evolve the building further to serve the health needs of the local population.
Local NHS partners identified an opportunity to expand local maternity services under one roof at Lowe House (PCRC), offering increased options for women across St Helens and reducing the need to visit a hospital site. CHP provided £500k capital investment to reconfigure and transform underused space in the Lowe House building to create an expanded midwife-led maternity unit.
Midwifery-led maternity unit in the heart of the community
The ground floor of Lowe House has been reconfigured and transformed to create a new maternity unit, enabling a community midwifery service to be delivered including:
- Over 300m2 comprising 13 rooms, a new ultrasound room, and provisions for changing and showering.
- Additional services and clinics including stop smoking, weight management, perinatal mental health support, and infant feeding sessions.
- The maternity unit will allow all women deemed to be ‘low risk’ to have their antenatal appointments and scans in a community setting at Lowe House, meaning that they do not have to travel to a hospital site.
A thriving new community health space
Maternity clinics run from Monday to Friday from 8am-8pm, with many local patients using the new facility.
Modern fit-for-purpose healthcare facilities for NHS staff
- The maternity unit also offers a better experience for NHS staff, providing a permanent base for the community midwifery team from Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in a modern, core, accessible neighbourhood health centre.
This expansion for midwifery services at Lowe House shows CHP’s commitment to improving patient care in the community. By working closely with the maternity team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Renova, and the ICS, we have created more space for maternity services outside a hospital setting at Lowe House in a modern, core, accessible healthcare building. This means easier access to appointments, care closer to home, a better patient experience, and ultimately, improved health outcomes. The project demonstrates CHP's commitment to delivering accessible, community-based healthcare. By investing £500,000, we've enabled St. Helens families to access vital maternity services closer to home, reducing travel and enhancing their overall experience. We are proud to support the continuing evolution of Lowe House into a thriving community health hub and remain committed to ensuring this estate is fully utilised by key partners in the local health and care system.
As a key partner to the NHS, Renova has played a vital role in community health in the North West over the last 20 years, but we are always looking for new and better ways to support residents. The maternity unit at Lowe House offers a huge boost to local families and NHS staff, bringing together a range of vital maternity services under one roof in the heart of the community, and underlining the significant benefits of investing in high quality neighbourhood health centres.
Partnership working
The maternity unit at Lowe House Health Centre was funded and delivered through close working between a range of partners including Community Health Partnerships, Renova, Cheshire and Merseyside Women’s and Children’s Services Partnership, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
About Lowe House Primary Care Resource Centre, St Helens
Opened in 2010, the three-story, 4,405m² Lowe House Primary Care Resource Centre located near St Helens town centre offers a wide range of healthcare services to the community in a modern, accessible building with good transport links and a car park. It is a busy neighbourhood health centre, with well-used bookable rooms for a variety of clinics and treatments.
There are four GP surgeries (Central, Newholme, Ormskirk House, and Parkfield Surgeries), ensuring residents have access to essential family medicine services. Services for women and children include Ante-natal, a Midwifery-led Maternity Service and a Paediatric service.
Other services include a Dental Service, a Primary Care 24 out-of-hours service, Musculoskeletal services, Long Covid clinics, COPD, and Pulmonary Rehabilitation including a gym. There is also a phlebotomy service and adult treatments clinic for dressings, post-operative care and catheter care.
AccessAble Guide: Lowe House Primary Care Resource Centre
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