One of the first NHS net-zero integrated care hubs to be delivered in England, providing accommodation for primary care, community health, mental health, and other associated services in Wiltshire – all centred around the patient in a community setting.
One of the first NHS
net-zero
Carbon in Operation, integrated care hubs
Apprenticeship weeks
70
delivered
Combining
4
Local GP practices under one roof
Local GP practices advocated for a new integrated care facility in Devizes, to provide an expanded range of primary care services to the local community, shifting care closer to patient homes and leveraging networks of practitioners across the health, social care, and voluntary sector.
In 2019, Kier was appointed, through ProCure 22, to work with NHS Property Services and NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group to deliver the new Devizes Health Centre.
Kier began work in 2021 to replace the existing services at Devizes Community Hospital and provide a new facility that combines four local GP practices under one roof. The new facility includes primary care, minor procedures, outpatients, phlebotomy, physiotherapy, podiatry, audiology, diabetes, mental health services and voluntary sector services.
As part of the early design works, Kier explored how they could deliver a carbon neutral building based on building orientation, form, envelope, and end user operation. To achieve net zero carbon in operation the building fabric was insulated and sealed, gas boilers were substituted with air-source heat pumps, high efficiency LED lightening was installed throughout, Photovoltaic (PV) panels were installed on the roof to generate electricity and offsite carbon emissions plus, the adoption of natural ventilation was introduced to reduce energy use.
In preparation for the future, the building was designed so that all internal partitions are independent of the structural columns, meaning their position can be adjusted with ease in the future as the use of the building / spatial requirements change, providing flexibility and resilience without the need for costly structural modifications.
Devizes Health Centre is a flagship facility, as one of the NHS’ first net zero buildings, it provides enhanced services in an improved clinical setting for the people of Devizes. Patients of the local GP practices are now able to be referred for same or next-day medical care at the new health centre, making it easier to access the care they need in their local area.
As one of England’s first integrated care centres, Devizes will be a benchmark for all future NHS construction projects, due to its use of environmentally friendly green technology.
Throughout the project Kier engaged with the local community and delivered:
- 70 apprenticeship weeks
- 12 hours of volunteering/community engagement
- 35% of subcontractor expenditure was within 40 miles of the project
- Invited two local primary schools to create artwork to be displayed inside the building
Beyond the Build Podcast - Delivering Devizes
With pressure on NHS services an ever-present topic on the news agenda, our guests explain how this locally-driven project is benefitting the community and how early contractor engagement drives the collaboration needed to deliver exceptional projects.
Guests include:
- Andrew Strange, Midlands Regional Partnership Director at NHS Property Services
- Richard Sanford-Hill, GP partner of Market Lavington Surgery
- Cheryl Parsons, Health Sector Director at Kier
