Doors open on £5m Cinderford health centre
By Rob Freeman | 26th August 2020
A £5million health centre has opened in Cinderford to replace the town's existing health centre.
The centre in Valley Road houses both Dockham Surgery and Forest Health Care and includes 20 multi-purpose consulting rooms, nurse treatment areas and first-rate facilities for reception and administration staff.
Dockham Surgery GP Dr Ingalill Sandys said: "We are thrilled to be opening the doors of our wonderful new surgery to our patients.
"We have put a lot of thought, hard work and passion into creating an attractive and contemporary building and pleasant surrounding environment and we hope it will feel welcoming to all our patients, including those with dementia.
"We really needed this new health centre to ensure we can continue to provide high quality services and meet the ever-increasing health and care needs of our growing population for years to come. "
Constructed by Speller Metcalfe, considerable planning went into ensuring the building is accessible and welcoming to all its patients, young and old and those with disabilities.
Helen Goodey, director of primary care at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "This is a fabulous development for Cinderford, and we are delighted that patients and staff can benefit from facilities that are fit for modern healthcare in such an attractive environment."
Developers and surgery staff worked with experts to ensure the building is dementia-friendly as well as offering enhanced infection control standards for both patients and staff.
Dr Deborah Lane from Forest Health Care said: "After many years of careful planning we are delighted to be in our new premises which enables us offer a broader range of services to patients.
"We have placed a real focus on ensuring the building and staff can really support people living with dementia.
"For example, people with dementia can find it difficult to read everyday signs and may require help to find their way around. We will have signs that include symbols and pictures, which can be easier for people to understand."
To mark completion of structural work in January, local pupils buried a time capsule with the theme surgery of the future in an area of the scheme that has been repurposed into a community allotment feature.
Speller Metcalfe regional director Mark Hudgeon said: "Speller Metcalfe is extremely proud to hand over the new medical centre to the residents of Cinderford, which will have a positive impact on the local community for years to come.
"The team has worked extremely hard during the current COVID crisis to reach a successful completion and we are delighted to see the doors open."
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