£34.2 million of investment in new healthcare facilities for North Nottinghamshire moved a step closer through a deal signed on Thursday 1st December by local health chiefs.

The four North Nottinghamshire Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have signed a public/private sector partnership agreement with Partnerships for Health (jointly owned by the Department of Health and Partnerships UK) and ExcellCare Ltd to deliver 21st century primary health and social care facilities in the area. This agreement will be delivered under an initiative called the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT).

This means that construction work will get underway this autumn/winter on seven exciting new buildings across North Nottinghamshire, the first of which will open towards the end of 2006. These include:

• £2.8 million Bull Farm Primary Care Resource Centre - Mansfield District PCT area.
• £4.7 million Warsop One Stop Shop - Mansfield District PCT area.
• £4.6 million Ashfield Health Village - Ashfield PCT area.
• £3.4 million Balderton One Stop Shop - Newark and Sherwood PCT area
• £3.0 million Rainworth Primary care Resource Centre - Newark and Sherwood PCT area.
• £10.5 million Retford Primary Care Centre - Bassetlaw PCT area.
• £5.2 million Harworth Primary care Centre - Bassetlaw PCT area.

The investment will improve local health care services; including GPs, community nursing, community mental health services, dietetics, physiotherapy, podiatry, phlebotomy, minor surgery, older people's mental health services, occupational therapy, training, counselling, speech and language therapy, family planning, and pharmacy.

Eleri de Gilbert, Ashfield and Mansfield District PCTs' Chief Executive, said: "This is good news for NHS staff and for local people as we see unprecedented levels of investment in primary care facilities within local communities.

"Local people have contributed already to the individual designs and there is a sense of ownership. We now look forward to seeing building work begin." she said.

Carl Dix, General Manager of the North Nottinghamshire LIFTCo, said: "North Nottinghamshire LIFT is a 25 year partnership between the public and private sector, so these seven sites are just the start of an ongoing programme of development in this area. Now that contracts have been signed, we can start building modern health and social care premises across North Nottinghamshire, often in the most deprived areas that need them most."

ExcellCare Ltd Director, Ian Wells, said: "Thanks to this LIFT initiative, the local community will have access to comprehensive health and social care provided in modern primary care facilities by a highly skilled workforce.”