Work to begin on £34 million integrated health centre in Worthing
It'll include services such as doctors, mental health specialists, outpatients, health visitors, chemists and services for families and children
Work is to begin soon on a new state-of-the-art £34m health centre in Worthing which will be a one-stop-shop for a wide range of health care issues.
The Worthing Integrated Care Centre (WICC) will combine doctors, mental health specialists, outpatients, health visitors, chemists and services for families and children. It is to be located in the car park at the back of the Town Hall and would see the existing Central Clinic site demolished to make way for the new facility.
A new multi-storey car park for 186 cars is also to be built next to the new centre. The building project for the health centre and car park is to be funded by Worthing Borough Council through borrowing to the tune of £34m to be recouped through rent and income.
On Monday, October 25th, the car park will close to allow contractors Galliford Try to access the site to begin preparatory work. The company, one of the UK’s leading building contractors was chosen by the Council after a competitive tendering process.
Work is expected to take up to two years and the Council, working with NHS partners, expects the centre to provide a range of integrated community health care services rather than the present situation where such help is scattered across the borough.
Cllr Sean McDonald, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:
"I am proud that the Council is laying the foundation for this innovative project, putting money up front to fund a state-of-the-art building that will give medical services excellent facilities to deliver first-class health care for residents.
"Bringing community health services together under one roof improves efficiency and outcomes for users and allows professionals to learn from each other to the benefit of those users.
"It is fantastic news that work is about to get under way."