Published date: 18 November 2019
Starting a new build, extending a Community Hospital to accommodate GP services
In 2017, West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) were awarded £1.3m Sustainability & Transformation Plan (STP) capital to relocate the Oakfield Surgery in Newmarket, who’s current location was to be sold for re-development, by March 2020.
NHS Property Services (NHSPS) had been involved prior to 2017 in developing options for a new site for the Surgery but ready-made, existing options were not available in the Newmarket area. To safeguard ongoing health provision to the Surgery’s 7,000 patients, options focussed on developing an area of Newmarket Community Hospital, using the £1.3m capital to create a new GP surgery.
NHSPS worked with the CCG to find relocation options suitable for the GP practice within underutilised areas of the Hospital. Alongside developing STP plans for a longer-term health and community hub on the Hospital site, in order to avoid limiting future uses of space within the main Hospital building, a plan was suggested in early 2018 by NHSPS to build a new extension to the Hospital for the GP surgery.
NHSPS teams then supported the architectural design and project delivery process, planning application (approved in January 2019), contractor tendering process (completed March 2019) and full business case submission (approved September 2019).
Within only a few short weeks of the full business case approval, CPS (the NHSPS appointed contractor) started work on the new extension. The contractors have started the footings and NHSPS funded infrastructure works and new parking areas started in August 2019 have been completed. The main build programme is due to complete in the spring of 2020.
The start of the new build coincided with the transfer of ownership of Newmarket Community Hospital to West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust who will complete the build, however, NHSPS were instrumental in developing the project and getting the extension build started.
Customer feedback
"Being awarded the £1.3m in capital funding was just the start of the process. The work required to access this funding meant the production of a robust business case to demonstrate value for money, clear governance arrangements and benefits to the patients of Oakfield surgery. NHSPS provided extensive expertise and support to the CCG, leading to the successful approval of our business case in July 2019. Furthermore, following approval, they were able to galvanise work on site at short notice and despite being in the middle of an asset transfer to West Suffolk Hospital Trust."
Julia Hiley, Estates Development Manager for Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG and West Suffolk CCG
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“NHSPS have been instrumental in ensuring the providers already at the hospital are part of early discussions around the potential for a health and well-being hub in the future”, whilst at the same time keeping a clear focus on the priority for relocating Oakfield surgery to the hospital by Spring 2020”.
Amanda Lyes, Director of Corporate Services and System Infrastructure for Ipswich & East Suffolk and West Suffolk CCG
