Building work has started on a new state-of-the-art multi-million pound health centre in Warsop, with an official ceremony starting demolition work on site. The event marked the culmination of over £34 million being injected into community health facilities in the North Nottinghamshire area to date, funded by majority private sector investment from Primary Plus – a joint venture between Equion (part of the John Laing Plc) and Bank of Scotland.

The Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) development for Mansfield District Primary Care Trust, part of a 25 year Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement, will involve the construction of a purpose-built £4.7m Warsop One Stop Shop, built on an extended site in the centre of the town. Shops at the front of the site have also been refurbished, which will help regenerate the area.

Carl Dix, North Nottinghamshire LIFTCo’s General Manager said: “Warsop is the seventh new medical Centre North Nottinghamshire LIFT has started work on this year, the final scheme in our first Tranche. It is part of the initial £34 million public private partnership programme of investment in new healthcare facilities which will benefit local people for decades to come.”

The North Nottinghamshire LIFTCo team were joined at the event by ExcellCare’s Chief Executive John Cassidy and Mansfield District PCT’s Chief Executive Eleri de Gilbert, along with local dignitaries and PCT and GP practice staff.

Services to be provided in the new centre include:

• two modern GP practices
• community nursing
• physiotherapy
• podiatry
• speech and language therapy
• family planning
• pharmacy

The development will take approximately 13 months to complete and will finish in the autumn next year. Services will then move into the new Warsop One Stop Centre, with its doors opening to patients before the end of 2007.