Spades at the ready as construction work for the Highley Health and Wellbeing Centre begins

Construction work for the brand-new Highley Health and Wellbeing Centre has officially begun, say health bosses at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

After listening to local people, plans to reconfigure an area of the Severn Centre to accommodate General Practice (GP) and other health and wellbeing services will begin this week with the retrofit expected to be completed this summer.

Changes to the Severn Centre will mean that the library service will move to a different part of the building. A short survey has been launched by Halo Leisure and Shropshire Council to ask people what they value from the library service – with everyone from the Highley community and surrounding areas encouraged to share their thoughts.

Building plans for the brand-new facility have also been shared on the Halo Leisure website illustrating the layout of the new centre where expanded GP services will be on offer. There will also be more health and care services provided by the local Primary Care Network (PCN) and partner organisations once the new centre is opened.

Health and care professionals from Bridgnorth Medical Practice will be delivering GP services from the centre and have been operating from Highley since July 2023. It is expected that additional health and wellbeing services will be available from this location in the future.

Dr Jessica Harvey, Clinical Director for the South-East Primary Care Network (PCN), said: “This vital project has been made possible by an equal partnership effectively working together to secure funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

“We are delighted to share the building designs and through several engagement sessions with the community have taken into consideration all feedback shared. We now look forward to providing an environment where health professionals can proudly care for patients and ensure that General Practice services remain in the area.

“As per comments from members of the community, the new centre will provide easy accessibility, increased capacity with six clinical rooms supporting all aspects of care, private consultation rooms, as well as more access to health professionals including GPs, nurses, and the extended healthcare team.”

Jamie Bryant, Operations Director for Halo Leisure, said: “Having the GP practice at the Severn Centre is the perfect partnership and opens up lots of opportunities to help create healthier communities – getting more people active, be that in the onsite gym, group exercise classes, sports hall, racket sports or during the summer in the outdoor heated pool. I look forward to watching this project come to fruition for our residents.”

The partnership for the Highley Health and Wellbeing Centre is made up of NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire Council, Highley Parish Council, Bridgnorth Medical Practice, the South-East Shropshire Primary Care Network (PCN) and Halo Leisure, the charity which runs the Severn Centre.

To complete the survey on library services, please visit the following webpage, and to view the official building plans, you can visit the Halo Leisure website.

Left to Right: Stuart Anderson (Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for South Shropshire), Becky Dunning (Urgent Care Practitioner at Highley Medical Centre), Steve Carter (Director at R1 Construction), Nicola Groom (Practice Nurse at Highley Medical Centre), Jamie Bryant (Operations Director at Halo Leisure), Philip Dunne (MP for South Shropshire), Dr Aaron Tindall (GP Partner at Bridgnorth Medical Practice), Penny Bason (Head of Partnerships at Shropshire Council), John Halliday (Project Manager). Front: Dr Jessica Harvey (Clinical Director for the South-East Shropshire Primary Care Network),

Photo credit: Shropshire Star/Jamie Ricketts