Work starts on £11.7m health centre
A new integrated social care and health centre is to be built in Sandwell as local contractor Willmott Dixon starts work on the site this month.
Procured via the Constructing West Midlands Framework, the £11.7m scheme for Sandwell Council will see the creation of a three-storey facility that will provide supported independent living provision.
The integrated social care and health centre, which is being built in Harvest Road, Rowley Regis, will include 80 individual bedrooms and resident facilities such as a hairdressing salon, a physiotherapy facility, agile working spaces, locker rooms, large communal areas, kitchen space, laundry facilities, treatment rooms and resident lounges. Alongside the wide range of state-of-the-art amenities, the centre will also have features that will ensure accessibility to aid persons with disabilities throughout.
The facility, which is also bein designed by Sandwell Council, will make up part of their wider regeneration vision – Sandwell Vision 2030 and five-year business plan Big plans for a great place.
Nick Heath, operations director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We are very excited to be expanding our working relationship with Sandwell Council as we also have teams currently on-site at three of their education developments. This integrated social care and health centre facility will provide much-needed support to local residents and will support the council’s goals to invest in community wealth – ensuring that people live and age well within the region.
“As with all our projects, we aim to leave a lasting legacy and have therefore committed to investing £575k back into the local community during this development. Our teams will be working in partnership with Sandwell Council to support their employment and skills plan. With a key focus on youth unemployment, we will be running a variety of community initiatives, including career mentoring, mock interviews, CV advice, careers guidance, virtual school and college visits, careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support and safety talks. Our community engagement specialists will also be working with and donating to local community projects.”
Mark Drake, Constructing West Midlands representative and Strategic Lead Design Manager for Sandwell Council said: “The procurement of this project via the CWM framework has already delivered significant cost and time savings for the council and its residents. We look forward to building upon this legacy and to working in partnership with Willmott Dixon to deliver a unique social care and health centre for the residents of Sandwell Council.”
It is anticipated that the integrated social care and health centre facility will be complete by June 2022.
