Houghton Primary Care Centre

The Houghton Le Spring Primary Care Centre has put health and wellbeing at the forefront of the local community with a new build health clinic and refurbishment of the connecting health centre. The centre combines health, social, sports and leisure facilities.

To help alleviate the pressure on the NHS for beds, the centre was designed to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. It accommodates GP practices, illness and injuries unit, planned care and diagnostics suite and provides a 24-bed rehabilitation unit.

Leisure and recreational amenities were also installed to aid patient recovery and encourage community engagement. These include new dance and wellness studios, café, Japanese gardens and a multi-use games area (MUGA).

The annual energy bills for the centre and CO2 emissions are 38% lower than a standard health building, and the building is EPC A-rated. Factors contributing to the centre’s sustainable ‘green’ rating include renewable energy provided by solar thermal panels, photovoltaic panels and an 18m high wind turbine. These ensure the building maintenance cost for the NHS is reduced.

The GP services and illness and injuries units are already helping to reduce the pressure on local hospitals and provide residents with alternative routes to access the services they need.