Digging in as work commences on new Wigan community hub

A groundbreaking event marked the start of the new medical facility in Aspull.

Together with Aspull GP Surgery, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) and NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group, OneMedical Property were delighted to put on their hard hats and take up the spade on the freshly prepared ground on Haigh Road.

The development is set for completion in early autumn and will enable current patients to continue to receive vital services throughout the programme.

The highly sustainable focal point building will provide flexible healthcare facilities for the local community and be a proud establishment for this generation and future generations.

Dr Johannes van Spelde, GP Partner at Aspull Surgery, said: “We are delighted to have come so far with the progress of Aspull Health and Wellbeing Centre. “As part of the Aspull Surgery for many years, the groundbreaking event is an important day for the practice, and all of our staff are pleased to know we will continue serving our patients in a state-of-the-art health and wellbeing setting.”

Rachel Beverley-Stevenson, Executive Chair and Property Director at OneMedical Group, said: “Coming out of the ground in the heart of Aspull, the plan for this scheme was to build a centre that was a legacy, a new focal point for the village, and encourage people to come together.

“We’ve also used our wellbeing approach and expertise within OneMedical Group to make sure we will support people to access care and help them improve their lives.

“Aspull is an example of redeveloping an existing site, so we’ve worked closely with WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) and Aspull Surgery to repurpose the site.

“Together, we are proud to make sure that healthcare is accessible in a community where patients are keen to keep care close to them.”

Ms Beverley-Stevenson added: “It’s really exciting to see a very big hole in the ground but it is finally coming to life.

“Usually something like this would take three years to get on site but with all the meetings being online, we’ve been able to have them more often which helped. It will be really community focused allowing more integration between departments.”

Paul Wainwright, Director at QAD Architects, said: “It is wonderful to get past the extensive planning stages and to finally start to see our paper creation emerge on site as a reality.

“The facility should serve both patients and local community equally well, as the design has been a collaborative process involving many stakeholders. The functional requirements of the design were our priority, and we believe that these have been realised beautifully.”

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