A significant milestone in community mental health provision has been reached in Hartlepool, as the adult mental health team has successfully relocated to One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre, with the team now seeing service users. This move, supported by a £497,000 capital investment from Community Health Partnerships (CHP), marks a key step for the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) to move into newly upgraded accessible, modern space on the ground and first floor of the building, providing care within the community and helping to combat mental health stigma.
The comprehensive remodelling of previously underutilised space on the ground and first floors of One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre was completed in June 2025, with the Trust team moving in during July 2025.
The reconfiguration works, which began in March 2025, were finished on schedule, allowing for the seamless transition of the mental health team from their unsuitable previous accommodation.
Read: Go ahead for £497k CHP-funded project for a community adult mental team to move to One Life Hartlepool (March 2025)
Partnership working
This collaborative initiative involved key partners, including CHP, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) (www.tewv.nhs.uk) NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB, Durham and Tees Community Ventures (LIFTCo), FES (Hard FM), VEST Construction, and Sewell Advisory (www.sewell-advisory.co.uk). The community mental health team’s relocation to modern, accessible One Life Hartlepool is also improving collaboration with other clinical services already housed in the building.
Community mental health at One Life Hartlepool
The newly remodelled ground floor now offers an improved therapeutic environment, featuring a redesigned reception, seven clinical rooms, a ‘quiet call’ room, three upgraded toilets (including an accessible one), administration rooms, hot-desk areas, and a meeting room. These spaces, which previously housed a sexual health service and a minor injuries unit, have been significantly transformed to meet the specific needs of mental health service provision.
It was an incredibly smooth process and we’ve got an improved standard of clinical environment for the people we care for in Hartlepool. The biggest changes that were clear on move day were that the standards of the clinical rooms were very high and that the way Outpatients worked was a huge improvement on our old premises. That’s all good news for our patients in Hartlepool.
The CHP team made my life much easier, they handled all of the management of the move. We consulted our staff and patients, gave the brief to CHP and they turned our spark of an idea into reality. They also had a lot of existing systems that took care of some of the teething troubles you have to work hard to avoid, things like access fobs and cleaning rotas were no problem. They took many of the usual headaches out of moving and made everything smoother - good news for the people we care for in Hartlepool.
We are proud to see the community adult mental health team now fully operational and welcoming service users at One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre. This £497k remodelling project, funded by CHP, is a fantastic example of what can be achieved through strong partnership working, resulting in the delivery of modern, fit-for-purpose healthcare spaces that truly benefit the local community. By providing a welcoming and accessible environment, we believe that this relocation will not only enhance the patient, staff and carer experience, but that it will also play a vital role in reducing the stigma of mental illness.
Working in partnership with CHP, facilities management provider FES and delivery contractor VEST, the project was delivered on budget and on time. A welcoming and bespoke space for service users and Trust staff has been created focussed around supporting service users in a community setting. We are delighted to see community mental health services fully operational at One Life Hartlepool providing an invaluable service to the local community and maximising the effectiveness of the building’s use.
One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre is now fully utilised, with a range of tenants and clinical services available within the building, providing care for patients closer to home in their local neighbourhoods.
The successful relocation of the mental health team to One Life Hartlepool serves as a powerful example of a modern, multi-purpose neighbourhood centre in action.
This facility, a cornerstone of community care, demonstrates how centralising a range of services—from mental health to general practice, respiratory services, musculoskeletal teams, diagnostics and more —in one accessible location can improve patient experience, streamline care, and support the broader goals of the NHS 10-year plan, published in July 2025. It is through strategic investments like this that CHP is providing the high-quality, sustainable infrastructure needed to deliver integrated healthcare services closer to home for communities like Hartlepool.
CHP’s PACE Programme
The Community Mental Health team move to One Life Hartlepool supports CHP’s commitment to the PACE (Productivity Acceleration in Community Estates) Programme, a national CHP initiative to prioritise the delivery of opportunities to increase productivity across the LIFT estate. CHP will continue to work with and support ICBs and Trusts in their strategic initiatives to identify potential opportunities.
Read more about CHP PACE projects: PACE
About One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre
Community Health Partnerships is the Head Tenant for One Life Hartlepool (OLH), one of 308 LIFT healthcare buildings across England, with the building owned by Durham and Tees Community Ventures Ltd (LIFTCo). OLH, which opened in 2010, is a three-storey, 6,400m2 healthcare facility providing diverse health services for the local community in Hartlepool.
There are three GP practices based at OLH. Current services at One Life Hartlepool include podiatry, respiratory services, musculoskeletal teams, diabetic clinics, eye screening, and audiology services, as well as a community speech and language service. There is also an X-ray on site. There is also a specialist dental service for patients with complex needs, serving the local community.
As with most CHP buildings, bookable rooms are available for sessional services and there are also two large meeting rooms. The health centre has good transport links and is a busy neighbourhood hub for the local community.
One Life Hartlepool is now fully utilised.
AccessAble Guide: One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre
One Life Hartlepool News
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