Blackpool South Shore Primary and Community Care Centre
Blackpool PCT
4 GP Practices / PCT Services / GUM Clinic / Children’s Services / Community Dentistry / Minor Injuries Unit / Pharmacy
Approx 6,000 sq m
Development value: £15 million
Pre-Construction – estimated on-site: January 2009
Estimated Completion: October 2010
GPI Project Director: Andrew Caldwell, Director for the North West and West Midlands
Architectural Design: ADM Architects
Construction: TBA
Employer’s Agent and CDM Co-ordinator: Summers Inman
Mechanical and Structural Engineers / Engineering Consultant: Clancy Consulting Ltd
Landscape Architect: The Ark Company
Dubbed 'super health centre' and 'state-of-the-art surgery' by local press, Blackpool South Shore Primary and Community Care Centre is a particularly exciting project for GPI, offering us the opportunity to realise a development of the highest standard for the South Shore area of Blackpool. This is in accordance with both the PCT's vision strategy and in line with the wider rejuvenation of the area through the Blackpool Regeneration plan by Blackpool Council to completely transform the town by 2020, of which top class health facilities are a significant part.
From the outset, we have viewed this scheme as an excellent opportunity to partner a forward thinking primary care organisation in creating an important strategic resource and, most importantly, allowing participation in evolving healthcare for the local and transient populations.
Our selection following being invited to tender was attributed to our ability to fully appreciate the parameters of the brief and understand the needs and requirements of all involved, particularly those aspects of an environmental nature.
A comprehensive brief was produced by the PCT and GP Consortia to provide accommodation to contain the existing services as well as additional space for new services to be provided and other services to be expanded.
Our vision is to deliver a comprehensive, integrated and modern primary care service where the facility provides a built environment to enable local GP teams, and services provided by other agencies, to work collaboratively in providing a package of health and social care team based services, sharing not only accommodation but also best practice, skills and knowledge.
The sharing of generic functional space by the diverse range of services in the building will greatly contribute to the integrated patient pathway of individual service users.
A key aspect of the design proposed was illustrating how configuration of spaces can achieve the best long term solutions to the problems of using space efficiently, whist sustaining the building’s potential to retain its functionality in the face of changing work patterns and workload.
This model of care facilitated through the development of purpose built facilities will enable preventative, educational, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation services to be carried out as locally as possible.
Environmental sustainability is a key focus. The PCT and GP Consortia support the principle of a ‘green’ building and thus a specific aspect of the brief was to design a landmark beacon facility that scores a NEAT Excellent rating, and leaves the smallest environmental footprint possible by complying with the Energy Policy which requires 15% of the energy to be provided to come from renewable sources.
Upon appointment we worked extensively on re-designing the scheme, following stakeholder feedback and consultation with the Planners to ensure that all expectations and requirements were being met.
The new primary healthcare centre will provide accommodation for the four GP Practices including facilities for medical and surgical investigations and treatment, practice nursing staff, administration accommodation plus comprehensive facilities for Blackpool PCT including:
In addition, there will also be a pharmacy, a café and approximately 120 car parking spaces.
Following individual stakeholder meetings, we have ensured that the final design has taken on board all the comments made regarding the day to day operation of the users, which has resulted in Community Nursing, MIU, Diagnostics, Minor Surgery, Children’s Services and the GUM Clinic together with the café and pharmacy being located at ground level. All GP Practices are accommodated at 1st floor level with dental services and Community Nursing administration. Additional administration is located at 2nd floor level.
The detailed design is amended on a constant basis following regular comment and feedback, in particular from the PCT Project Group, consisting of a variety of consultants employed by the PCT to monitor, support and sign-off the design of all three schemes. The result is a lively debate on all issues, which we very much welcome and allows us to contribute our expertise and experience into the dialogue to advise all concerned.
We have actively engaged the community through Public Consultations and
the public were given a first view of the centre in October 2007. This was received with warm approval with comments including:
“I think it’s going to be a great asset to South Shore”
“I don’t think the public realise what a great benefit this is going to be”
“The building will be here for my children and my grandchildren and everyone will benefit”
“I think it is excellent and will bring great services to the community”
We are all at GPI looking forward to commencing on site in the near future.