Farnborough’s new Centre for Health has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ by Leo Docherty MP as he visited the building days ahead of its scheduled opening.
Mr Docherty, the MP for Farnborough, was given a tour of the building as final preparations were being made before the first patients are due to be welcomed on Monday, October 19.
Farnborough Centre for Health, in Apollo Rise, will be home to GP practice Voyager Family Health, with its urgent care centre, as well as the town’s Integrated Care Team, Community Nurses, midwives and the talking therapies service.
The building not only offers new, more spacious and modern facilities for the GP practice’s patients to receive services in, but it also provides a state-of-the-art base for services that will cover the whole of the Farnborough community.
Local NHS commissioners North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have been working to establish a dedicated healthcare facility for Farnborough. The CCG joined forces with Rushmoor Borough Council, which secured the building that will house the centre, in the process cementing the long-term working relationship between the council and the CCG.
Mr Docherty said: “I have been hugely impressed to see the fantastic new Farnborough Centre for Health and to meet the brilliant Voyager Family Health team.
“People across Farnborough needed a dedicated health facility and I’m delighted that thanks to the combined efforts of the CCG, Rushmoor Borough Council and Voyager Family Health, this is now a reality.”
He pledged his ongoing support to the health of local people, saying: “I remain deeply committed to ensuring that our local provision of healthcare at all levels is first class, and doing what I can, together with Rushmoor Borough Council and GPs, to promote healthy living.”
During his visit Mr Docherty met Dr Glen Micklethwaite and Dr Nick Hughes, two of the partners at Voyager Family Health, the GP practice which will be based in the centre.
Dr Micklethwaite, the practice’s Senior Partner, said: “We’re excited to be moving into the new premises, where we can service the needs of our patients and the growing population of Farnborough, and we’re looking forward to working with the extended members of the local healthcare team, such as midwives, counsellors and community nurses.
“The building brings us all together in one site where we can work together for the patients’ benefit.”
Councillor Martin Tennant, Rushmoor Borough Council’s Major Projects and Property Portfolio holder, has been working with the CCG on the project. He said: “After seeing the refurbished building I’m really impressed with how cleverly it has been designed.
“I’m really happy we’re getting to the point of opening and I’m pleased we have been able to work in partnership to deliver this improved service. This demonstrates really successful partnership working, delivering an outcome which will benefit everybody in the local area.”
Daryl Gasson, Executive Managing Director for North East Hampshire and Farnham CCG, said: “The opening of Farnborough Centre for Health is the culmination of many years of hard work by a large number of people so it is extremely satisfying to arrive at this point.
“I’m greatly impressed by the building and the teamwork that has brought this about - the partnership between Primary Care, Rushmoor Borough Council and the CCG that came about for this project – and I hope it’s a model we can use in wider areas.
“The Centre’s opening is a landmark moment for healthcare in Farnborough, yet there is work still to do and we are committed to working with all of the area’s GP practices and other providers to ensure everyone has access to the same high quality services.”
