Work to begin imminently on new Devizes health centre after plans approved

A state-of-the-art health and care facility is set to be built in Devizes after plans for the project have officially been given the green light.

Having been the subject of lengthy discussions for some time, the approval of plans means building work for the new Devizes Health Centre on land close to Marshall Road can begin later this month.

Construction work is expected to last approximately 12 months, with the doors to the new facility scheduled to open to patients next summer.

Dr Andrew Girdher, Clinical Chair, said: “The new Devizes Health Centre will be a facility the whole community can be proud of and benefit from, and I am delighted that building work on this long-awaited project is soon to be under way.

“As the flagship location for health and care in Devizes, the centre will ensure patients have access to modern facilities and state-of-the-art services while also providing professionals with much-needed additional clinical space, which will allow teams to provide an even greater level of care.

“I very much look forward to the opening of the new Devizes Health Centre in 2022, and offer my thanks to all who have been involved in getting this project moving during what has been a very challenging period for the NHS.”

The new build will be one of the region’s first integrated care centres, and will offer a home to a number of different health and care providers, all of whom will provide a variety of services to patients under the same roof.

As well as replacing the existing services at Devizes Community Hospital, the new facility will give local GPs additional clinical space needed for everyday care, and also the room to provide a number of enhanced services.

Some of the extra services that will be provided from the site include phlebotomy, physiotherapy, audiology, podiatry, diabetes and mental health.

The building of the new Devizes Health Centre will be overseen by NHS Property Services, which has worked with the ICB over the last few years in getting the £10.9 million project off the ground.

Andrew Strange, Regional Partnership Director, NHS Property Services, said: “We are delighted that we are closer to delivering a modern healthcare facility that will enable the provision of excellent patient care to the community.

“We are delighted to see this project progress as it will undoubtably enhance the experience of patients using it.”

Funding for the multimillion pound project was jointly agreed by NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care earlier this month.

For more information about local health and care services, visit www.bswicb.nhs.uk.