£9.5m Wallsend sustainable health centre reaches development milestone

A key milestone has been marked in the construction of a brand-new health centre in Wallsend as the building reaches its peak.

Health partners, representatives from Assura, and the project team joined Esh Construction on site to celebrate the latest progress in the £9.5m development. The three-storey steel structure and concrete roof deck is now complete, with over 112 tonnes of hot rolled steel used for the building’s frame.

Work on the scheme has been forging ahead since last year when Esh Construction commenced work on the site, next to the Forum Shopping Centre, working alongside the national primary care premises specialist, Assura.

Stuart Leslie, divisional director at Esh Construction, said: “This is the first development Esh will deliver in partnership with Assura, and we are pleased to celebrate this key milestone with all health partners.

“The next phase will see the internal fit out commence which will include the construction of partitions and installation of services, while externally the masonry work will get underway.”

Named Hadrian Health Centre, the premises are being built to modern, environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art specifications. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels will be installed on the roof to capture energy for the all-electric facility, limiting electricity required from the grid and reducing carbon footprint.

The building will become home to Park Road Medical Practice and Portugal Place Health Centre, as well as a range of community health services for more than 20,000 patients, while Assura will work as the practises’ long-term premises partner.

Andrew Cooper, senior development manager at Assura, said: “It’s always a special milestone to reach a building’s highest point, and it’s great that many of those people responsible for this fantastic facility are here to share it today.

“Later this year, the building will be opening its doors, adding new capacity for the NHS and supporting delivery of healthcare services in a state-of-the-art environment.”

Health partners in the project include the two GP practises, NHS North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Community Services.