01 July 2009
A state-of-the-art primary care centre currently under construction at the Western Community Hospital in Millbrook, Southampton, has been officially unveiled as the Adelaide Health Centre.
The new facility is being provided by South West Hampshire LIFTCo, a company set up with the aim of delivering better access to extended services from better buildings and closer to home.
The company is owned by Southampton City and Hampshire PCTs, Community Health Partnerships and gbprimarycare, a consortium of companies led by Assura LIFT Holdings, with Geoffrey Osbourne as lead contractor.
Once completed the new centre will house an NHS Walk-in Centre, GP services, GPs with special interests, physiotherapy, podiatry, musculoskeletal clinics and space for advice sessions such as healthy eating and smoking cessation, closer to people’s homes.
The name Adelaide Health Centre was selected by an independent panel comprising of NHS Southampton City and South West Hampshire LIFTCo after local people were invited to put suggestions forward to christen the new building.
It was chosen because of the building site's connection with the Adelaide, a floating healthcare ship and later an isolation ward, which was moored in the River Test off Millbrook during the 19th century.
Adelaide was sold in 1923 and replaced by the Chest and Isolation Hospital which later made way for the Western Community Hospital, the location of the new Adelaide Health Centre.
David Acklam, head of LIFT at Assura, said: "This fantastic new facility has been made possible by a real community effort, involving close partnership working between the clinicians, the PCTs and local patients to provide a building that will greatly benefit local people.
"It is very pleasing indeed that the new Centre is adopting a new name which accurately reflects the rich history of the local community."
Kevin Liles, corporate operations director for NHS Southampton City, said: "The Adelaide Health Centre is an extremely important building for the future of caring for patients in Southampton, which will bring services closer to people's homes, offer extended opening times and give patients better access to treatment.
"The modern, state-of-the-art building has been built in co-operation with local residents and our colleagues in LIFTCo, and I am pleased that we now have a fitting name to give to a building which will offer improved care for patients in Southampton."
Peter Dean, general manager of South West Hampshire LIFT added: "The construction of this new health centre has been an excellent opportunity for LIFTCo to demonstrate its capabilities as a modern, flexible procurement model. It is exciting to see every aspect of this project come to fruition, right down to the naming of the building, which will become a real landmark for Millbrook."
Construction work is on target to be completed towards the end of summer, and doors are expected to open to patients in November.
ENDS
Press enquiries regarding Assura Group to:
Russell Elliott, Assura Group.
Tel: 020 7107 3833
Louise Bathersby, Assura Group.
Tel: 020 7107 3830
