The official opening of the £1.2 million Forrest Medical Centre (FMC) in Canley has taken place marking a further milestone in the regeneration of the area.
It is the fifth project to be completed by developers Arden Estate Partnerships, which has invested over £35 million locally through new development facilities to enhance the areas health and social care estate.
Former FMC Senior Partner Dr. Caroline Rhodes and current Senior Practice Partner Dr. Peter O’Brien unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion - the fruition of several years work between developer Arden Estate Partnerships (AEP), FMC and Coventry City Council to bring the new medical centre to the area.
FMC is a two-storey 750m2 facility built by Arden Estate Partnerships’ local construction partner Crowngate Construction, combining the services that were offered by the Canley and Chapelfields surgeries.
Dr. O’Brien told guests: “We owe a great debt to retired Senior Partner Dr Caroline Rhodes who put in so much time and effort over the years to help get us where we are today. Looking around the Centre you can see that this new facility will be providing first class primary care for the next 25 years and beyond. We have independence, stability and a first class team of doctors and staff with many years ahead of them here.”
Throughout his speech Dr O’Brien highlighted the commitment and dedication he and his colleagues share towards care and compassion to patients and underlined how important it was for the Centre to play a key role within the community.
He commented: “This is a wonderful development and there are many people I should be thanking including our Managing Partner Matthew Grant, who has worked so tirelessly on helping bring this together; Crowngate Construction, who have done a magnificent job; George Marsh, Nikki Hopkins and Vicki Ridgway from Arden Estate Partnerships; the NHS incorporating NHS England and Coventry and Rugby CCG, which have been very supportive; and the Patience Reference Group chaired by Diane Tolley.”
He added: “During the bringing together of two practices the current staff have been very understanding and continue to be supportive of the move and share our ethos for the practice. Moving two establishments into one requires tolerance and understanding by everyone.”
George Marsh, AEP Chairman commented: “This project has been talked about for the last 10 years. The biggest challenge for us has been to design and deliver it within a very restricted NHS budget.
“There have been challenges including changes to the NHS structure in 2013 that we have faced alongside our tenants Forrest Medical Centre and our supply chain partners. Together we have come through and delivered this high quality healthcare facility on time and on budget.
“In this design we have reflected the economies of primary care and, using AEP’s experience of larger and more complex facilities, we have been able to challenge and provide design principles that allow the flexibility and future growth of the practice.”
Managing Partner Matthew Grant said “We are very proud of our history – where we have come from and what we have done and achieved. This building gives us the chance to really make a difference. It has also given us the opportunity to develop a new logo with a little help from pupils from local school Woodlands Academy.
“Our new logo incorporates our ethos of key partnerships and the fact that we are a key part of our community. We have been a training practice for many years and some of those coming through have gone on to be partners in the business.”