Bedford Borough has a new integrated Primary Care Hub improving access to appointments and providing more coordinated care for patients, closer to home. The Hub, at the Bedford Health Village, is a partnership between Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care Board, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Assemble Community Partnerships Limited, and The De Parys Medical Group (TDPG).
A formal opening was held on 16 January where the new De Parys provision was opened by the Deputy Mayor Cllr Jim Weir.
The Enhanced Services Centre, a building where CHP are Head Tenant, and Gilbert Hitchcock House currently provide services including GP services, retinal screening and phlebotomy for 40,000 patients.
Working in collaboration, the new £7m NHS England capital funded variation will see the two buildings refurbished to create a fit for purpose integrated Primary Care facility. The variation will allow TDPG to consolidate patient services from four of its six locations into the newly developed site. It will bring a wide range of services together in one location, closer to home for patients.
Services will include access to general practice, podiatry, specialist nursing services, phlebotomy, retinopathy, mental wellbeing services and musculoskeletal services. The access to these services, amongst others will enable a closer link between primary and secondary care services within the area, helping to improve outcomes for patients with long term conditions.
The variation will allow improved access to appointments for patients, in a more modern and efficient facility as well increasing service productivity. The centre will support training for the future primary care workforce and will aim to address current capacity and service issues faced by TDPG.
CHP buildings are core to securing the future of the NHS estate due to them being modern, in excellent condition and having no backlog maintenance. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 CHP buildings are placed in areas of high health need so provide vital services in the heart of the community whilst offering fantastic value for those who use them.
The Enhanced Services Centre project would not have been as successful without the building being in such good condition.
This project represents a significant investment in improving primary care services for the people of Bedford Borough. The new north Bedford integrated facility is expected to deliver positive outcomes for patients, healthcare professionals, and the overall health of the community.
Being able to facilitate such a large project for an area of high health need is fantastic for us at CHP. The new integrated Primary Care facility will offer greater options for treatment, closer to home, for those who need it most.
We are always pleased to support the aspirations of our practices to enhance the care they can provide, and this development offers a great opportunity for residents in Bedford. The partnership involved here has worked well together, so we will look to build on this as we turn our attention to other buildings projects around our area.
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Get in touch with your CHP Regional Director and regional Property and Operations team to find out how they can support diagnostic services at CHP buildings providing high-quality, modern, core NHS facilities for patients in their local communities.
