Local GP Surgery Holds Grand Opening Event

Cllr. Susan Griggs, the Mayor of Tiverton attended an evening event to celebrate the completion of the new £1.8m extension to Clare House Surgery located in Newport Street, Tiverton. The substantial building programme which has significantly increased the size of the surgery was overseen by lead consultants Haldons Limited and built by contractors Morgan Sindall.

Photograph By Glen King:

Centre: Cllr Sue Griggs, Mayor of Tiverton with Clare House construction consultants to her left and the partners of Clare House Surgery on the right.

More than 100 guests, including Clare House staff, patients and supporters attended the event, enjoying canapés and wine. Dr Frank O’Kelly, Senior Partner gave a welcome address advising that Clare House has always been known to give an excellent service to patients and the expansion has now created an environment that includes a clinical suite and additional healthcare facilities that will ensure a primary care service for the future.  This was followed by a number of presentations by keynote speakers including a few words from the Mayor.

Cllr Susan Griggs, Mayor of Tiverton said: ‘Tiverton is a busy and social town and I am very pleased that we have such a wonderful surgery in our town centre as it is vital to the local community.  I wish everyone who works here every success and well done to the consultants for the fabulous design and all their hard work.”

The project came in within budget with Mark Coton of Construction Consultants, Haldons Ltd as the lead consultant.  Mark’s presentation outlined the phases and complexities of the project showing before and after photographs.  He said: ‘Clare House Surgery is a Grade II Listed Building dating back to the seventeenth century and as a result was a challenging project.  We employed Jerry Kent an architect based in Barnstaple, who dealt with the Listed Building issues which included archaeology trenches to check antiquities and also the planning permission.  The historic boundary walls had to be re-constructed and the ground conditions were poor coupled with being the wettest winter for 250 years which Dave Pearce of Morgan Sindall and his team dealt with brilliantly.  I also would like to thank Linda Bent the Business Development Manager and all the Clare House team for their patience throughout the build.”

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MP Officially Opens New £1.8m Extension For Tiverton GP Surgery

A new-look Clare House Surgery located in Tiverton, was officially opened by Neil Parish MP in a ribbon cutting ceremony following the completion of a project costing the practice £1.8m. The substantial building programme overseen by lead consultants Haldons Limited and built by contractors Morgan Sindall.  The extension has created a significant expansion of the surgery, allowing Clare House to increase its provision of services and resulting in the creation of several new jobs. This includes additional receptionist staff, a prescription manager, a strategic manager and a new apprentice, taking the current number of employees to over 40.

Back Row:

Mark Coton, Lead Consultant – Haldons Ltd/ Dave Pearce, Contracts Manager – Morgan Sindall / James Davies and his daughter Nola (1 year old)

Middle Row:

Dr Jim Wood / Dr Helen Perry / Neil Parrish MP / Ivy Dully, patient of Clare House (100 years’ old) / Dr Alex Long and Dr Frank O’Kelly, Senior Partner Clare House Surgery

Haldons Ltd., a multi-discipline firm has offices in Exeter and Torquay, provided project management, architectural design, quantity surveying and cost management services and acted as *CDM Co-ordinator (*see notes to Editor). The build took 14 months and was completed on time and within budget.

Mark Coton, Director of Haldons liaised with the Primary Care Trust and Clare House Surgery over a number of years, looking at several options to enable the GP Practice to either relocate or expand on the current site. The construction consultants helped Clare House prepare a business case which was successful in securing a £700k central Government grant/loan to make the project viable. 

The surgery, which has a patient list of over 10,000 is located in an area which is part of the original Saxon and Mediaeval settlement.  The main house is Grade II listed and was constructed around 1816 in the Italianate style.  Clare House together with Mark Coton and Barnstaple-based Architect Jerry Kent, worked closely with the Local Authority Conservation Officer to agree a viable extension to the listed building.

Mark Coton, Director Haldons Ltd., said: “The extension required a link with the existing listed building and this, along with the form of the new relationship to the existing surgery, was critical to the development of the design. The new building provides visual clues linking with the main house, including white rendered walls with inset windows and overhanging roof eaves, producing spaces that provide a calm and confidential environment for both patients and staff.”

Neil Parish MP said: “It gives me great pride to cut the ribbon to celebrate the completion of the new extension at Clare House Surgery.  There has been a surgery at Clare House for over 80 years and it is a great asset to the town, delivering a modern service.  Well done to Lead Consultant, Haldons for making it fit in so well with the existing listed building and congratulations to the whole team for such a successful project.”

The refurbishment programme has significantly increased the size of the surgery, creating additional clinical space for extra trainees and family care, 12 new treatment and consulting rooms, a waiting area and reception plus a new operating theatre.  With the new surgical suite, Clare House Surgery is able to offer operations including vasectomy, carpal tunnel and dermatology procedures. In addition there is an on-site pharmacy, and this is the first Superdrug built within a GP practice in the UK. The surgery also provides medical education provision for the Peninsula Post graduate Deanery and the University of Exeter Medical School. There are four qualified GP trainers in the practice and all the Partners are accredited by the University of Exeter for Medical Student Training.

There are currently seven Partners and two associate GPs. Two of the senior Doctors are members of The Royal College of Surgeons.  The Surgery is also actively involved in medical training, and currently has three GP Registrars as well as medical students and in addition there is Practice Nursing staff and health specialists.

Dr Frank O’Kelly, Senior Partner said: “This is a major investment. The additional space has made a huge difference to the local community, creating new jobs and offering even better medical care for our patients including minor surgery, which is traditionally only carried out in hospitals.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark for overseeing the project and also Patrick Newton and his team at Morgan Sindall who were very accommodating.  They even helped move large medical equipment and kept disruption to a minimum ensuring our staff could continue to care for patients throughout the building works.  It is a very exciting time for Clare House Surgery, and to recognise the new era we have re-branded to reflect the contemporary new look and feel of the practice.”

Dr Jim Wood, Project lead for Clare House adds: "Clare House has a long tradition of providing family medicine to the people of Tiverton. The new refurbished and extended building allows us to continue that tradition whilst also allowing us to provide enhanced services to the population of Mid-Devon through our surgical suite. This currently includes carpal tunnel, vasectomy and skin cancer services with a planned increase in dermatology provision for the area also. In addition it has allowed us to build on our tradition as a teaching practice. We are very grateful for the all the hard work put in by Morgan Sindall who were incredibly considerate in minimising disruption. Inevitably, however, there has had to be some disruption and I would like to thank all our patients and staff for being so supportive during the build - we couldn't have done it without them."

Construction Consultants Celebrates Completion Of Hospital Refurbishment Project

Construction consultants Haldons Limited celebrates the completion of the newly-refurbished Sidmouth Victoria Hospital by presenting the staff and Chair of the Comforts Fund with a special cake marking the firm’s 10^th anniversary.

Martina Harrison, Clinical Manager/ Mark and Maria Coton, Co-directors Haldons Ltd/ Graham Vincent, Comforts Funds Chairman

A multi-discipline firm with offices in Exeter and Torquay, Haldons provide a wide range of professional services in many sectors across the South West region and throughout the UK as a whole.  These include Architectural Design, Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Cost Management and Premises Compliance.

Haldons recently completed the extensive £1.25m refurbishment project at Sidmouth’s community hospital for Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, working closely with the Trust’s in-house facilities team.  Co-directors and husband and wife team Mark and Maria Coton presented the cake to Comforts Fund Chairman Graham Vincent and the occupational therapy (OT) and *MSK physiotherapy team led by Clinical Manager Martina Harrison.

Haldons’ Director Mark Coton was the lead designer, contract administrator and CDM Co-ordinator.  The company also provided cost management services, and the build took 52 weeks to complete with Sidmouth-based contractors, Skinner Construction.  The refurbishment programme provided a new entrance canopy; reception; waiting room; kitchen; two minor injuries treatment rooms plus an office and gym for the MSK (musculoskeletal) department as well as three treatment rooms. In addition, there is new office accommodation and a treatment area for the occupational therapy team for ADL (Activities of Daily Living).

Martina Harrison, Clinical Manager for MSK physiotherapy (Eastern area) for the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, says: “The cake as a thank you to the team was a lovely touch from Mark and Maria. Throughout the building works the staff have continued to look after patients and it has been a real partnership with Haldons, Skinner Construction and Graham Vincent and the Trustees.  We all worked together towards the same outcome of creating a space shared by OT and musculoskeletal *(See notes to editor) (MSK) physiotherapy, which works well with patients.  We were very confident in Haldons’ ability to deliver and they were very professional throughout.  We developed a relationship of trust with Mark, who really understood the needs of the staff, and working with Andrew Sturgess the Contracts Manager of Skinner Construction and his team was a delightful experience.”

The latest development is the fifth phase of a project which originally began 25 years ago with a total spend of £4.5m, with virtually all the money being raised in the local community.

The Sidmouth Victoria Hospital Comforts Fund initially put in £750,000, with Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust contributing £200,000.   The Comforts Fund Trustees had an appeal to raise an additional £255,000 by means of concerts, Flag Day, fete, open gardens, donations and legacies.  

Graham Vincent, Comforts Fund Chairman, comments: “Matron, Emma Bagwell, had to produce a clinical case for Phase 5, and I had to present a business case for Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust. Extra fundraising activities were carried out by Comforts Fund as building works were happening.  It has been a challenging but enjoyable project and it has created a real community spirit.”  He adds: “Haldons were very responsive and willing to review plans to make sure we were within budget. The staff had a lot to put up with keeping the hospital functioning throughout.  Haldons developed a good relationship with the Trust and we are looking forward to working with them again.  The Comforts Fund’s next project is to upgrade the courtyard garden for patients to sit with family and visitors, which is due to be completed by Christmas 2014 and will make a great deal of difference to the enjoyment and recovery of the patients.”

www.haldons.co.uk

http://www.northdevonhealth.nhs.uk/services/community/sidmouth/

Construction Consultants Celebrates Completion Of Hospital Refurbishment Project

Construction consultants Haldons Limited celebrates the completion of the newly-refurbished Sidmouth Victoria Hospital by presenting the staff and Chair of the Comforts Fund with a special cake marking the firm’s 10^th anniversary.

Martina Harrison, Clinical Manager/ Mark and Maria Coton, Co-directors Haldons Ltd/ Graham Vincent, Comforts Funds Chairman

A multi-discipline firm with offices in Exeter and Torquay, Haldons provide a wide range of professional services in many sectors across the South West region and throughout the UK as a whole.  These include Architectural Design, Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Cost Management and Premises Compliance.

Haldons recently completed the extensive £1.25m refurbishment project at Sidmouth’s community hospital for Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, working closely with the Trust’s in-house facilities team.  Co-directors and husband and wife team Mark and Maria Coton presented the cake to Comforts Fund Chairman Graham Vincent and the occupational therapy (OT) and *MSK physiotherapy team led by Clinical Manager Martina Harrison.

Haldons’ Director Mark Coton was the lead designer, contract administrator and CDM Co-ordinator.  The company also provided cost management services, and the build took 52 weeks to complete with Sidmouth-based contractors, Skinner Construction.  The refurbishment programme provided a new entrance canopy; reception; waiting room; kitchen; two minor injuries treatment rooms plus an office and gym for the MSK (musculoskeletal) department as well as three treatment rooms. In addition, there is new office accommodation and a treatment area for the occupational therapy team for ADL (Activities of Daily Living).

Martina Harrison, Clinical Manager for MSK physiotherapy (Eastern area) for the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, says: “The cake as a thank you to the team was a lovely touch from Mark and Maria. Throughout the building works the staff have continued to look after patients and it has been a real partnership with Haldons, Skinner Construction and Graham Vincent and the Trustees.  We all worked together towards the same outcome of creating a space shared by OT and musculoskeletal *(See notes to editor) (MSK) physiotherapy, which works well with patients.  We were very confident in Haldons’ ability to deliver and they were very professional throughout.  We developed a relationship of trust with Mark, who really understood the needs of the staff, and working with Andrew Sturgess the Contracts Manager of Skinner Construction and his team was a delightful experience.”

The latest development is the fifth phase of a project which originally began 25 years ago with a total spend of £4.5m, with virtually all the money being raised in the local community.

The Sidmouth Victoria Hospital Comforts Fund initially put in £750,000, with Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust contributing £200,000.   The Comforts Fund Trustees had an appeal to raise an additional £255,000 by means of concerts, Flag Day, fete, open gardens, donations and legacies.  

Graham Vincent, Comforts Fund Chairman, comments: “Matron, Emma Bagwell, had to produce a clinical case for Phase 5, and I had to present a business case for Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust. Extra fundraising activities were carried out by Comforts Fund as building works were happening.  It has been a challenging but enjoyable project and it has created a real community spirit.”  He adds: “Haldons were very responsive and willing to review plans to make sure we were within budget. The staff had a lot to put up with keeping the hospital functioning throughout.  Haldons developed a good relationship with the Trust and we are looking forward to working with them again.  The Comforts Fund’s next project is to upgrade the courtyard garden for patients to sit with family and visitors, which is due to be completed by Christmas 2014 and will make a great deal of difference to the enjoyment and recovery of the patients.”

www.haldons.co.uk

http://www.northdevonhealth.nhs.uk/services/community/sidmouth/