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Final Step Taken Towards Willesden PFI Hospital

13.12.2002

A new £14 million Private Finance Initiative (PFI) hospital in the heart of Willesden, North West London, came a step closer on Thursday (5th December) when the financial agreement was signed between Brent Primary Care Trust and Willcare UK, the Special Purpose Vehicle. The new centre, designed by PRP architects, will replace the current Willesden Community Hospital and Pound Lane GP’s Clinic, and will provide a state of the art one-stop community healthcare facility.

Local people will benefit from extensive state of the art facilities in a sensitively designed building. And remarkably the new hospital will be built whilst the old one is still operational, meaning that the people of North West London will not have any break in the care offered whilst the new hospital is being built.

The Centre will include all the existing and some new services. There will be inpatient wards for older people and younger people with disabilities, outpatient and diagnostic services, a GP unit, a dental unit, community nursing, occupational, speech and physio- therapies, mental health services, women’s services and voluntary services. There will also be a café and a retail pharmacy.

PRP – one of the UK’s largest firm of architects has extensive experience in designing healthcare facilities. Audrey Knox, the architect responsible says: “We have designed the new centre very carefully so that it will fit sensitively into the area. We have also designed it in such a way that it will take up only half the area occupied by the existing hospital, yet it provides a greater and more accessible level of service to the community.”

The fact that the design makes much better use of the space releases the remaining area for a housing development by McLean Homes, also designed by PRP. 108 new homes will be built, including key worker accommodation (for Brent Primary Care Trust), and affordable housing.

Of the signing of the agreement, Lise Llewellyn, Brent PCT Chief executive said: “This is excellent news, Willesden Hospital has served its community well for over a hundred years. The vision now is to build on that achievement, by enabling integrated, up-to-date health and care services to be provided in purpose built and flexible facilities.”

The new facility – to be called the Willesden Centre for Health & Care – is being funded through a public private partnership between Brent Primary Care Trust, Willcare UK (see notes to editors, below), Rok Llewelyn (contractors) and Eureka Facilities Management. The project is expected to start on site early next year.