Devizes Health Centre cared for over 59,000 in first year

The state-of-the-art Devizes Health Centre was officially opened on February 22, 2023, just weeks after the town’s flagship healthcare location opened its doors to patients for the first time.

Staff at the £11 million centre, on Marshall Road, are celebrating its first anniversary after caring for 59,457 patients during on-site or over the phone appointments.

This equates to around 238 patient interactions each day.

In total 16,834 of these have been face-to-face appointments.

The health centre is one of the country’s first fully integrated healthcare centres, meaning GP appointments take place alongside other health and care services, including outpatient clinics and community care.

Patients from four nearby GP practices can be referred directly to the site’s new urgent care service.

The Devizes Health Centre (Image: Trevor Porter)

Dr Richard Sanford-Hill, a GP at Devizes Health Centre, believes the building has built a reputation as a national “trailblazer.”

He said: “The feedback we have had from local people during our first year has been overwhelmingly positive, and I am so proud that this building, which has gained a reputation as something of a trailblazer for the NHS, has its roots planted firmly in the heart of Wiltshire.

“Devizes Health Centre will serve generations of local people for many more years to come, and I have no doubt that its ultra-modern credentials and state-of-the-art sustainability features will be widely replicated on all future NHS buildings.”

The year-old site is 100 per cent energy efficient and uses heat pumps and solar panels to generate its own power.

Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB) was recently chosen as one of two Activity Driven Estates Planning Tool (ADEPT) pilot sites by NHS England.

This tool will give health and care planners detailed insight to help plan new buildings and upgrades to existing estates.

The Devizes Health Centre (Image: Trevor Porter)

Simon Yeo, assistant director of estates at BSW ICB, believes the national recognition for the health centre was a factor in the area being chosen for this scheme.

He said: “The first-year success of Devizes Health Centre, along with the recognition it has attracted nationally, really helped to pave the way for us becoming an ADEPT pilot site.

“Over the coming years, the tool will not only help us to bring care out of traditional settings, and move it into environments closer to patients’ homes, but also allow us to plan where the Devizes Health Centres of the future will be needed most.”