From old to new: one public service to another

One of our latest projects helped provide Ware, a beautfiul historic market town in the East Hertfordshire countryside, with a brand-new medical centre which fits in with the local surroundings.

The town, which is 20 miles north of London, has a population of roughly 18,000 people and is well known for the many listed buildings there and the local community is extremely proud of its heritage.

For every new project we work on, the needs of that community are unique – and the new space we create is designed around what’s right for patient experiences in that place and the services the NHS needs to deliver there. In some places we’ll be looking at brand new sites for a brand-new build. Elsewhere, we might be extending an existing health building to create lots more capacity. In other places, we might give an older existing building a new lease of life to become a health centre.

East Hertfordshire has a generally good health profile when compared with the national average, especially with the life expectancy of both men and women in the area being better than the average in England.

The Dolphin House Surgery in Ware needed a new place to call home. The lack of space in the building meant staff had no designated desks and the practice was unable to cope with increasing patient numbers and with the population in the town expected to grow by up to 9,000 residents by 2033, it was clear the practice needed more clinical space to help deliver the best possible care.

That’s where we came in to help.

We converted the former police, fire and citizens advice hub, which is only five minutes away from the former building, into a brand-new state of the art medical centre.

“Our old premises were very short on space and meant that we couldn’t really deliver the level of service and care that our patients need and deserve. This new medical centre provides us with a wonderful space to provide better care for our patients and a better working environment for our staff. We’re so excited that we can now move into our new building.”

Jill O'Brien, Managing Partner

By converting the former Meade House building, we were able to create a medical centre that fits in beautifully with the local surroundings and offers a much nicer environment for both patients and staff with better access for patients with disabilities and more spacious waiting areas which are better suited for patient confidentiality.

“We’re delighted that this project has been finished. The pandemic has really how emphasised how access to primary care has never been more important than it is now and this centre will be a fantastic asset to the staff and patients.”

Sue Fogden, Assistant Director (Premises) for East and North Herts and Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Groups.

“There’s something particularly exciting about being able to improve, refurbish and repurpose an existing community building with a whole new lease of life for the future of health in the town. We are really proud of this development and we know it will make a huge difference for both staff and patients.”

David Sadler, our Senior Development Manager.

We’re extremely proud that this wonderful building will stay in community use for decades to come at the heart of local wellbeing.

Appreciate