As part of plans to maximise clinical space, Breightmet Health Centre in Bolton has undergone a £560,000 reconfiguration, with the creation of three new consultation rooms to support the need for more podiatry and physiotherapy services.

With capital investment from Community Health Partnerships (CHP), supported by the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, and the One Partnership; improvements have been made to the 6,200sq m, three-storey building.

Prior to the work the ground floor was underutilised due to the layout of the building.

Converting the space has added approximately 173sq m to the ground floor, increasing utilisation and bringing vital services closer to patients’ homes.

New consultation and examination rooms at 16sq m will accommodate double-sided access couches, clinical sinks, and extra storage cupboards.

Alongside these rooms, the other podiatry rooms will be approximately 23sq m with a specialist podiatry chair. 

And service delivery will be further supported by a larger waiting area.

The reconfiguration work began in July and lasted approximately 10 weeks. It was project managed by Eric Wright Building Consultancy and built by Eric Wright Construction.

“This variation will deliver much-needed services in an area of need and represents excellent value for money,” said Andy Muir, regional director for the North West at CHP.

Mark Cox, project manager for capital developments, added: “This project is part of our expanding programme of targeted capital investment and delivery projects seeking to enhance the sustainability of our health centres and improve value for money for our customers. 

“Breightmet builds on a previous project at Nye Bevan Health Centre and our partnership with One Partnership, leading to cost and time savings as lessons learnt were implemented.”