Three months after the start of the construction of the new home for Aspull Surgery and the community teams from NHS Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospital’s Trust, another key milestone has been reached. Those living in and visiting Aspull will be able to see the physical structure of the Aspull Health and Wellbeing Centre starting to take shape with the steel frame now in place and the beginnings of the internal structure also beginning to take form with the installation of the staircases.
- A unique approach and perspective to bring care closer to people
The design of the Aspull Health and Wellbeing Centre has been truly collaborative with the OneMedical Property design team working closely with Apsull Surgery, NHS Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, Wigan Borough Council, NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) to design a space that truly meets the needs of the whole community and helps build a healthier future for all who will be working in it, receiving care from it or using it for other activities and interactions.
The building has been designed with multi-purpose spaces that are welcoming to all as well as improved staff facilities to ensure those who look after us are in turn looked after. Further, a key part of the scheme is the legacy it will leave for the whole village, both with its landmark design in the heart of the village and with thoughtful and inclusive landscaping around the whole site and specifically a Community Orchard, with wildflowers, at the front of the building for all to use, enjoy and benefit from.
OneMedical Property has worked with Wigan Borough Council to repurpose unused land into a true community asset for the benefit of the village, with residents and community groups encouraged to use the space to connect through gardening and growing of local produce.
- Making healthy progress
Following on from the groundbreaking in January 2022, the form of the new Health and Wellbeing Centre is taking shape with the steel frame now in and the stairs and external walls being put in place. The next big milestone will be the roof or “topping out”, which will take place in early Summer this year, with the whole build due for completion in Autumn this year.
Rachel Beverley-Stevenson, Executive Chair and Property Director at OneMedical Group, says: ‘’We are so proud to be part of a true team effort in getting the Aspull Health and Wellbeing Centre to this stage and look forward to seeing it take further shape over the coming months. The new building reflects the collaborative approach led by the team at Aspull Surgery, working closely with NHS Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust and the team from NHS Wigan Borough CCG and Wigan Borough Council, who have all been super supportive.
This approach ensures that the completed building will be a real community asset and a space where those living in the area can go to get help in being well, staying well and living well; something that is very important to us as an organisation that has its foundations in creating healthy spaces for communities.
This vision of helping everyone live their healthiest lives and access care in a way that meets their needs is something that is shared by everyone involved with this project and will be visible in the finished building, from the way the spaces are designed and fitted out to how people move around the building, both internally and externally, with the centre connecting to the heart of the community through the addition of the Community Orchard and multi-purpose wellbeing led spaces.
Throughout, we’ve worked hard on partnering with local organisations, individuals and groups led by our end users, Aspull Surgery and NHS WWL and supported by the council and the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB). This has meant the building has been very much designed around the needs of all who will use it, work within it or live alongside it. We are excited to be using our experience of user-led evaluation to put in metrics now that we will monitor throughout the lifetime of the new centre to show the positive impact well thought out healthcare spaces can have on the wellbeing of local populations.’’
- Building overview
The new Aspull Health and Wellbeing Centre will act as a local focal point and hub for the benefit of all who live or work in the area, both for now and for the long term.
OneMedical Property will be the pro-active landlords of the new building and with a wider range of NHS services being delivered by the current Aspull Surgery team and NHS WWL Community teams.
Working together, Aspull Surgery, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and OneMedical Property’s design team, led by QAD architects, have designed an energy-efficient and sustainable Health Centre for the local community to be proud of, offering services that will meet current and emerging health and wellbeing needs in an accessible and inclusive way.
OneMedical Properties team are reaching out to all local people and groups who are interested in becoming involved with the Community Orchard or just learning more about the scheme. Please get in touch with property@onemedicalproperty.co.uk for more information or go to the Feedback page to register your interest.
