Bluebell Medical Centre in High Wincobank, Foxhill Medical Centre, Norfolk Park Medical Centre and Darnall Community Health Centre will replace existing outdated facilities and will provide a range of medical services, including GP and nursing services, minor surgical procedures and community therapies, whilst also providing a hub for the local community.

All four facilities will incorporate innovative sustainability features to maximise energy efficiency and minimise environmental impact:

• A combined heat and power (CHP) bio-fuel generating system running on a 100% sustainable bio-fuel manufactured from waste used cooking oil will provide electricity and heat for the buildings
• Rainwater harvesting will recycle rainwater for use in the flushing of toilets
• Environmentally friendly building materials are being used throughout all four buildings
• Excess energy generated by the CHP system which is not needed at the centres will be diverted to the national grid and provide 100% green energy to other local public buildings – this will give the buildings the opportunity to become carbon neutral by offsetting other sources of carbon emissions from the buildings.

In addition, at the Darnall Community Health Centre an air source heat pump will take air from outside the building and using clever technology use this to heat and cool the under floor heating system and maintain a consistent temperature at all times.

With this additional technology, it is expected that this new centre will be even ‘greener’ and by giving excess energy to other public buildings will be carbon negative as it provides more green energy to other energy users than the harmful carbon emissions it creates, which more than cancels out the building’s environmental impact.

Neil Charlesworth, Director of Community 1st Sheffield, commented: “Community 1st considers sustainability a high priority in all our developments with NHS Sheffield so  we worked closely with the architects bluesky to ensure that sustainability was designed into the buildings from the very beginning of the process.”

The four medical centres are currently under construction and due to complete in late 2012 / early 2013.

The tower was the last of three blocks which once stood at Jordanthorpe – the others were demolished in 2001 – and was the final tower block outside the city centre still standing.

The council has not decided what to do with the site long term.

Click here to see a video of the building being demolished.

Mansell did a presentation on the importance of site safety, and showed the children a short DVD from the Health and Safety Executive. Ivor Goodsite, the character from the Considerate Constructors Scheme, surprised the children with an appearance and the children also had the chance to get dressed up in hard hats and high vis vests.

The scheme has been commissioned by NHS Sheffield and will be delivered by Community 1st Sheffield to combine a range of medical services, including GP and nursing facilities, minor surgery and a pharmacy, whilst also providing a hub for the local community.

The Labour MP said the medical centre will be ‘first class’, adding: “I know that local people will benefit in all sorts of ways.”

Community 1st Sheffield has appointed Mansell Construction to construct this new development which was designed by integrated design team Blue Sky Design Services www.blueskyinspired.co.uk

The centre is due to be open to the public in early 2013.

The scheme has been commissioned by NHS Sheffield and will be delivered by Community 1st Sheffield to combine a range of medical services, including GP and nursing facilities, minor surgery and a pharmacy, whilst also providing a hub for the local community.

Community 1st Sheffield has appointed Mansell Construction to construct this new development which was designed by integrated design team Blue Sky Design Services www.blueskyinspired.co.uk

The centre is due to be open to the public in early 2013.

The ceremony celebrated the beginning of building work on the new medical centre and one-stop shop for community services on Main Road, Darnall.

The scheme has been commissioned by NHS Sheffield and is being delivered by Community 1st Sheffield to combine a range of medical services, including GP and nursing facilities, minor surgery and a pharmacy, whilst also providing a hub for the local community.

Ian Atkinson, Chief Operating Officer of NHS Sheffield and the Sheffield NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “I’m proud we are able to celebrate these plans to develop four new medical centres in Sheffield by 2013. We have developed them together with local GPs, partners and members of the community with the aim of providing modern, high quality and sustainable services for the future of healthcare in the city.”

Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts, said: “I am very pleased that the scheme is finally going ahead after a long campaign fought by the local community and myself. I would like to thank NHS Sheffield for the hard work they have put into the project and the excellent consultation work they have done with the local community. This will greatly improve the service local GPs can provide in Darnall.”

Neil Charlesworth, General Manager from Community 1st Sheffield said, “Community 1st is proud to be working with our local partners to deliver this important facility. It is exciting to see this much needed development get underway and provide local people with access to high quality health services in an innovative new building.”
 
Community 1st Sheffield has appointed Kier Northern to construct this new development which was designed by integrated design team Blue Sky Design Services www.blueskyinspired.co.uk.

The centre is due to be open to the public in early 2013.