Residents of New Cross and surrounding areas in South East London will now have access to enhanced health services, upgraded facilities and a new Community Hub following the completion of improvements at the Waldron Health Centre.
The completion of the improvement project at Waldron Health Centre was marked by an official opening on Wednesday 18 June, with the attendance of local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres and NHS and private sector colleagues.
The £2.3m project, is part of a wider estates initiative set out by the local health system to improve healthcare delivery and patient care across South East London, bringing much needed services closer to home within a neighbourhood setting reducing the need for acute hospital visits.
The four-storey health centre was built in 2008 under the NHS LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) Programme to offer local residents a range of integrated health and social care services in one state-of-the-art building. The site offers a range of services including, three GP surgeries, sexual health clinic, dentistry and community support. The Waldron Health Centre has become a vital part of the local community over the years, but with a growing local population and changing health and social care needs, improvements to the site were much needed to support and improve health care provision in the locality.
The completed improvement works include:
- Increased clinical space
Key parts of the Waldron building have been remodelled and refurbished to make more efficient use of existing space. This has included a new reception area, additional clinical space to support GP services, including a new interview room for medical appointments, and a new refurbished room for perinatal services.
- A new Community Hub
The renovations have also enabled a new Community Hub, creating a welcoming space for visitors and residents to access health and care services and bring members of the local community together. A new café is now also available on site, along with access to Citizens Advice and employment related support.
- Improved facilities and a better integration of health services
Alongside the major building works, improvements have also been made to heating and ventilation systems, toilets, windows and doors to improve facilities for staff and visitors. The remodelling works have enhanced the existing layout so that the building flows from one space into the next, improving the integration of different health and social care services throughout the building.
Through partnership working with both private and public sector partners including: Community Health Partnerships (CHP), LIFTCo partner – Building Better Health – Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham Ltd, health investor – Fulcrum, South East London ICS, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Lewisham Primary Care Network, One Life Lewisham, the building has been transformed to provide a more holistic approach to local healthcare delivery, further supporting an integrated care model. CHP’s Development and Property and Operations teams have been integral throughout the project, providing design and planning expertise, project management and working with tenants to ensure services were not disrupted during the renovations.
I’m delighted to see the improvement project at the Waldron Health Centre is now complete, the project has been a long time coming! Through collaborative working across both private and NHS partners the refurbishment will transform healthcare provision across South East London, it will enable a more streamlined and integrated approach addressing the needs of the local population. Local communities are always at the heart of what we do, and it’s great to see the new Community Hub up and running! I hope it will support many patients, staff and residents in the years to come.
I’m really delighted to celebrate the relaunch of the Waldron Community Hub. LGT has over 100 colleagues who call the Waldron home and we are proud to provide many of our Lewisham community services, including midwifery, district nursing and diabetes care, from the Hub. The redevelopment is a great example of collaboration and partnership, with all us tenants working together to ensure that we could keep services running for patients while the works were carried out. The result is this thriving neighbourhood community hub that hosts health and care services as well a wide variety of much-needed and well-loved community groups
The Waldron has been a real cornerstone of our community since it opened in 2008, bringing lots of health and social care services together under one roof. Today’s a special moment—not just for the building itself, but for all of us who care about health, wellbeing, and community here in Lewisham.
We’re proud of the progress made at the Waldron Health Centre, which is now fully equipped to offer a wide range of health and care services to residents. The addition of the Community Hub is an important step in providing more holistic neighbourhood care in Lewisham
The Waldron already serves as a vital part of the local community and these improvements will offer another huge boost to the health and wellbeing of residents. As the NHS looks to shift more care into the community, the Waldron is a thriving example of how partnership working and investment in improved neighbourhood health facilities can support the changing health and social care needs of local people.
The variation at the Waldron Health Centre, reinforces the importance of LIFT facilities in supporting integration of care and bringing services closer to home within neighbourhood hubs. The new Community Hub will enable staff, visitors and members of the public to access health related information and advice to improve personal wellbeing all from under the same roof, demonstrating that LIFT assets are not just about health care delivery but also wider community support.
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