Improvements are being made to the health centre in New Cross

Health services in south London are to receive a boost with work now underway on a £2.3m project to deliver new and improved facilities at Waldron Health Centre in Amersham Vale, New Cross.

The four-storey health centre was built in 2008 to offer local residents a range of integrated health and social care services in one state-of-the-art building.

Waldron Health Centre has since become a vital part of the local community, but, with a growing local population and changes in their health and social care needs, the centre has been earmarked for further investment to remodel and improve the space and services available.

Construction work at Waldron Health Centre is now underway and the £2.3m project will help to deliver a range of improvements including:

• Increased health space and new community areas. Key parts of the Waldron building will be remodelled and refurbished to make more efficient use of the space. This will include creating a new reception area, more clinical space to support the delivery of a wider range of services, a new interview room for medical appointments, and creating new areas for use by community groups
• A new community ‘labyrinth’ garden. A new community garden space will be created outside the main entrance, with trees and plants in a ‘labyrinth’ design, and with a range of seating areas for visitors and local residents to use
• Improved facilities and a better integration of health services  Alongside the major building works, improvements will also be made to heating and ventilation systems, toilets, windows, and doors to deliver better facilities for staff and visitors. The remodelling works will improve the layout so the building flows from one space into the next, improving the integration of different health and social care services throughout the building

An artist’s impression of the atrium at Waldron Health Centre. Image, Wilby Burnett architects

Waldron Health Centre was delivered under the NHS LIFT Programme which brings together Community Health Partnerships alongside health investor, Fulcrum.

The improvement works are being delivered by a range of key partners including South East London Integrated Care System, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, North Lewisham Primary Care Network, and One Health Lewisham.

And the works have been carefully planned so that existing health and social services in the building can continue operating while construction takes place.

Construction is expected to be completed over the summer.

Elizabeth Fletcher, capital programme manager at Community Health Partnerships, said: “The variation project has been a long time coming and I am delighted construction has now started.

“CHP has had an integral role, working with both our public and private sector partners in making this happen.

“The project will support CHP’s strategic aim to utilise existing high-quality LIFT buildings to enable improved healthcare delivery in local communities, as we set to work on securing the future of NHS LIFT assets.

The works will include the creation of a new community ‘labyrinth’ garden. Image, Wilby Burnett architects

“The variation will provide a number of benefits for both staff and patients of the health centre and I very much look forward to seeing the project come to fruition.”

Ian Butterworth, head of strategy and projects at Fulcrum, adds: “Waldron already plays a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the local community, but we are always looking for ways to increase and improve the facilities available to residents.

“By creating more clinical space for NHS staff, new areas for community groups, improved visitor facilities, and a new community garden, the improvement works now underway will be a huge boost to local residents at such an important time for community health.”