Thousands of people in Tower Hamlets are set to benefit from a new £5million health centre.
Wood Wharf surgery, which opened on 26 April, will offer an extended range of services to meet the needs of patients in the Isle of Dogs area. As well as being able to access GP services, patients will be able to see other qualified clinicians locally, such as a physiotherapist or a pharmacist.
The brand new premises – which has 15 clinical rooms, self-service healthcare pods, digital infrastructure installed to aid with virtual consultations, and accessible facilities – will allow GPs and their teams to offer high quality care to existing patients while providing much-needed extra capacity for 13,500 new patients who wish to register.
As well as improving patient experience, the purpose-built modern facilities will aid people in the area to live healthier lives and reduce pressure on local hospitals by making healthcare more accessible locally.
The new centre, located in Canary Wharf, is part of the Hurley Group and a sister site to Island Medical Centre. Together these will be known as Island Medical and Wood Wharf Practices and any newly-registered patients will be able to access services offered at both locations.
The development of the new centre forms part of the joint work by the NHS and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to improve primary care access for the growing local population.
William Cunningham-Davis, Director of Primary Care Transformation at NHS North East London, said:
“The completion of this project was the result of successful partnership working between the practice team, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, NHS Property Services and the Canary Wharf Group.
“It will continue to ensure that people in Tower Hamlets are able to access integrated health and care services locally in their neighbourhood that will support the wider transformation of the local health and care system which will continue to improve patient experiences and health outcomes for the registered patients.”
A spokesperson for Hurley Group said:
“We are delighted to announce the opening of the new and first NHS health centre in the heart of Canary Wharf. Wood Wharf Health Centre, is a new branch of the existing Island Medical Centre, providing the full range of NHS GP services, and giving new and existing patients improved quality of care, and accessibility at both locations.
“The Health Centre will be offering face-to-face, telephone, and digital eConsult consultations for registered patients, as well as high clinical standards at the brand new state-of-the-art location. It has been great working with Tower Hamlets and the Canary Wharf Group, and we look forward to building and growing with our new and existing patients within the Canary Wharf community.
“Wood Wharf Health Centre is now open for new registrations via the website www.islandmedical.co.uk.”
Stuart Fyfe, MD Retail Leasing, Canary Wharf Group comments:
“We’re delighted to welcome our first NHS surgery to Wood Wharf. It’s a fantastic addition to our already diverse health and wellness offer. Everyone including residents, visitors and workers will have easy access to the best facilities.
“Canary Wharf is a hub for life sciences and additions like Wood Wharf NHS facility are key elements of this.”
Martin Meltzer, Senior Capital Manager for NHS Property Services, said:
“We are thrilled that the site at Wood Wharf has now been completed, and feel confident that our NHS colleagues, patients and the local community will feel the immediate benefit from this fantastic facility, enabling people to access and experience excellent care in a modern, welcoming environment.”
