A west Hull health centre has been transformed to make best use of the available space and bring more services together under one roof.
The Calvert Centre in Calvert Lane was built by Citycare in 2007 and was designed to be flexible from the outset. The centre is home to GPs and various health and community services.
Vacant space within the building, previously occupied by Hull City Council, has now been maximised to create a new home for the Hull Eating Disorder Service, Evolve, which is run by City Health Care Partnership CIC (CHCP CIC) and promotes eating disorder recovery offering support and interventions to over 18s.
The centre was identified as a building which could be used more effectively following changes in how the local authority delivered services there and this work is part of supporting NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) clinical services strategy, as well as ensuring that resources are used to best effect.
Citycare worked for Community Health Partnerships (CHP) and in partnership with CHCP CIC and NHS Hull CCG, and Sewell Construction was appointed to carry out the work, which was completed in November.
Dave Barley, Development Manager at Citycare, said: “Our buildings are designed to be flexible and any changes such as this to service delivery models ensure we can make best use of the existing estate.
“Work with stakeholders helped to identify the most efficient solution to meet the clinical services strategy.
“At the Calvert Centre, we worked to reconfigure and refurbish the area so it will now be utilised to its full potential.
“Evolve can relocate into modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation for its therapy-based outpatient service and support people for many more years to come.”
As Citycare is familiar with the building, the design and development costs of the project were significantly reduced, and work on the main scheme was able to start and complete sooner, generating further savings.
Ann-Marie Southgate, Programme Manager for Developments at CHP, said: “This is about making the best using of existing space to ensure efficiencies and cost savings for the NHS.
“Services alter regularly and cost-effective change is important. The health centres in Hull were designed to meet the needs of those services changes now and into the future.
“Buildings need to be able to adapt to what’s needed and that’s exactly what is being done in Hull to make full use of the space available.”
Existing GP and community services remained open while work was underway at the Calvert Centre and disruption was kept to a minimum.
Emma Sayner, Chief Finance Officer at NHS Hull CCG, said: “Finding solutions to make best use of the estate is essential in achieving better value for money while also ensuring services are situated in the best possible locations. The Calvert Centre is a prime example of how a building can be reconfigured to meet future service needs.”
Evolve Service Manager Mike Johnson said the new base will be a real boost for the service.
“The building has been refurbished with Evolve’s clients in mind,” he said.
“It’s safer, more modern and has a bigger kitchen for cookery sessions, which are a very important part of the therapy we offer.
“Our new rooms will also give us space to expand the service, allowing us to support more people with eating disorders and help them on the road to recovery. We’re really excited about the potential benefits this move will bring for the service and for our clients.”
