The primary care building will form a key part of the new town centre, alongside other retail, community and family care facilities. Developers Urban&Civic are currently undertaking design work as part of their wider project to create the town centre, and will present this to residents in due course.
The health centre, which will contain a minimum of eight clinical rooms, is being designed for an expected patient population of around 15,000. It will be owned by Bedford Borough Council, ensuring it remains available to benefit local residents for the long term. The plans will also permit a potential future expansion to the health centre, reflecting the continued growth of the local population.
Several local GP practices have informally expressed an interest in running the health centre; the provider will be selected to deliver local healthcare services through a formal procurement process to be led by the ICB.
This project will be taken forward as a partnership between the ICB, Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and Urban&Civic. The £7m NHS capital allocation will fund the delivery of the new building, and the project may also draw on Section 106 funding secured from developers by Central Bedfordshire Council, on behalf of the NHS.
Local residents will get a first peek at the plans and an opportunity to have their say at two public engagement events which Urban&Civic will be hosting to present plans for the town centre in mid-April.
Members of the ICB board also heard today that local partners are keen to deliver the new health centre as quickly as possible. At this stage, it is hoped that construction will begin in 2027 and that it will open in 2029.
Jan Thomas, chief executive officer of Central East Integrated Care Board, said:
“This is great news for patients who have waited for many years whilst the required funding was secured.
“Today we have launched our new ICB, and we look forward to getting on with the delivery: improving patient satisfaction, reducing the time spent waiting for care, delivering more services closer to home, and ensuring the NHS is financially sustainable.”
“As evidenced by today’s announcement, we will work with partners in the NHS, local government and the wider community to make our aspirations a reality for local people.”
Nigel Hugill, Chief Executive at Urban&Civic, said:
“We often hear the complaint that health and education provisions fail to keep pace with residential development. That is not the Urban&Civic way. I am delighted to be working with the Central East Integrated Care Board, in conjunction with the two Bedfordshire unitary authorities and with financial support from NHS England, to deliver what we are all determined will be best-in-class GP facilities at Wixams. Public consultation has been organised for soon after the Easter holidays in anticipation of a 2029 opening. All comments will be very welcome.”
Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford Borough, said:
“Following considerable effort and dedicated work alongside our partners, we are delighted at the announcement of this funding for a new permanent primary care health centre in Wixams. It will be an important addition to the community, giving local residents easier access to the services they rely on. We’re excited to help bring these muchneeded facilities to Wixams.”
Cllr Adam Zerny, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, said:
“Residents of Wixams have been waiting a long time for this facility so we’re pleased to see steps are finally being taken. We’ll be eager to see work get started as soon as possible to ensure the project stays on target for completion by 2029.”