Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to deliver the new Thornbury Health Centre in South Gloucestershire.
The contractor was appointed by South Gloucestershire Council through the Southern Construction Framework to deliver the £16.9m facility, which will provide a new home for Severn View Family Practice and Streamside Surgery.
"This is a project the whole team has been really looking forward to, and it's brilliant to be on site at Thornbury," Robert Williams, Area Director at Morgan Sindall Construction in the South West and Wales, told Building Better Healthcare.
The first few weeks are about laying the groundwork, getting the site set up and cleared ready for the main construction to follow.
The centre will include 24 consulting rooms, three treatment rooms and two phlebotomy rooms, alongside a shared reception and waiting area and office space for both GP practices.
Severnvale Primary Care Network will also have office space within the facility, while Sirona care & health will have consulting rooms and offices to support community services.
The project is funded through £14.4m from the Department of Health and Social Care, with a further £2.5m in capital funding from the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (BNSSG ICS).
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2027.
History of plans for the development
Plans to replace Thornbury's existing 1970s health centre have been in development for several years.
A Strategic Outline Case was developed in 2018, followed by a £14m capital funding bid in 2020.
In 2019, the then Capital Construction Group (CCG) was also asked to submit a funding bid following interest from the Minister responsible for NHS capital, resulting in a £14.4m bid to NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.
South Gloucestershire Council bought the former Thornbury Hospital site from North Bristol NHS Trust for £3.4m in January 2022, paving the way for new health facilities.
In 2023, the Government invited the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board to develop a business case to unlock £14.4m for the health centre, with firm DHSC commitment to the funding coming in November that year.
Plans were publicly consulted on in August 2024 and a planning application was submitted in October.
The project has now moved into construction, with the current scheme valued at £16.9m.
The ICB and council have described the latest stage as a significant milestone for healthcare provision in Thornbury.
"It's the start of something the local community has been waiting a long time for. We'll be sharing updates as the new health centre takes shape, and we're excited to see the progress on site as construction proceeds,” said Williams.
The appointment follows Morgan Sindall Construction’s selection to deliver the £1.5bn Milton Keynes University Hospital redevelopment through the New Hospital Programme’s Hospital 2.0 Alliance.
In April, the firm also completed a new same-day emergency care unit at James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk, delivering the facility in just 16 weeks within the live hospital environment.
