As founding joint venture partner in Wellspring (the private sector development partner of hub); Apollo is supporting hub West Scotland (hWS), with specialist input to primary healthcare premises; with Eastwood Health & Care Centre being one of these supported projects.

The 6,015m2 Health & Care Centre opened its doors to the public on 8th August 2016. The new Centre offers the Eastwood community access to a wide range of health and social care services, now under the one roof for the first time. As part of the Scottish public/private hub programme, through the hub West Scotland territory; it was jointly delivered along with the Maryhill Health & Care Centre, as a single bundle of c. £27m. These two Projects along with the East Pollokshields Centre, ‘The Shields Centre’ completed in January 2015; are the beginning of an NHSGGC Health & Social Care strategy to serve the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde community, which includes the former area of NHS Argyle & Clyde. These projects underpin NHS Scotland’s ‘Once for Scotland’ approach to shared Health and Social Care Services.

The £14.9m centre is located at Drumby Crescent, on a brown-field site of the former Isobel Mair special needs School, which had relocated to a purpose made facility in Newton Mearns. The school and its sports grounds has facilitated generous space to promote natural light and ventilation; linking with lush landscaped courtyards, grounds and car parking; creating a building in a ‘Park’ setting. Notwithstanding facilities for cycling and close proximity to bus and train routes. This is now home to five GP Practices; Community Health and Care Services, including various clinics; East Renfrewshire Council Offices; and a Third Sector Café.

The Centre was officially opened on 26th October 2016 by the Minister for Public Health and Sport, Aileen Campbell; who had recently officiated the ‘Sod Cut’ at Orchard View on 11th October 2016. The Minister stated, “what we see now: a wonderful, state-of-the art new facility that is already proving to be such an asset to the local community. Not only will the building provide first-rate healthcare facilities, but it will also house many social care services and provide space for voluntary groups of all kinds.”

The Chief Officer of East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Julie Murray, likewise noted that, “this provides the people of East Renfrewshire with fantastic modern facilities, fit for the future delivery of integrated health and care services.” While the NHSGGC Chairman, John Brown further endorsed these comments.

The positive welcome for the Health & Social Care ‘Reference Design’ continued with success in attaining architectural Awards at the Scottish Health and Social Care Conference on 3rd November 2016. Firstly, the Design Excellence Award followed by the Paul Taylor Award, in recognition of the best overall submission; a credit to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and East Renfrewshire Council Representatives, and a credit to the professional team who delivered the Project.

Hopefully the delight shown to date is a sign of good things to come for the Project, bringing a public service closer to its community; not only through its primary function, but also through its Third Sector Café, which runs as an employability project; and through is various spaces made available to voluntary groups.

As a specialist in the development of primary healthcare premises in the UK; Apollo has provided Post Contract resource to support the simultaneous construction of Eastwood and Maryhill Health & Care Centres.

Apollo’s CEO, Johnny Dryburgh, was recently invited back to Aberdeen for the retirement bash of Skene Medical Group’s Senior Partner, Dr George Ellis. Almost 13 years on from the inception of the project to develop the new Skene Medical Centre and 11 years from it’s completion, it was an honour for him to be invited back to the building by project lead Dr George Ellis for his own retirement party.

Johnny and George developed a great relationship working their way through the challenges of the project, including securing a site in booming Aberdeenshire, and satisfying the requirements of multiple stakeholders, who didn’t always entirely agree with one another. George’s Partners in his large Practice gave him protected time to devote to the project on their behalf, and his attention to detail and good nature greatly contributed to the success of the scheme; which really does look as good now as when it was built. George could often be found in the site hut dishing out doughnuts to the site team, which I am sure helped! Retirement is a sometimes relative term, and George is already developing his passion for tree surgery, although perhaps a little more attention needs paid to health and safety judging by his bruised lip!.

(Photos: (1) Then – Dr. George Ellis at Sod Cutting; (2) Now – George & Johnny).

On Sunday evening 9th October 2016, James Arthur sang his latest UK No. 1 hit, ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’, to the public on British TV. Appearance of being successful masks the mental health challenges that face the X Factor pop star.  Through his own issues, James Arthur has become the Ambassador for the UK charity SANE.

According to ‘Mind’, 1 in 4 people in the UK are affected by some form of mental health issue, which comes in all shapes and forms.

Monday 10th October 2016 was recognised as World Mental Health Day and marked the commencement of 3 weeks of events throughout Scotland. This being the 10th Anniversary of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Within the Glasgow area, the annual Mental Health Conference was held on 12th October 2016, at The Beacon Arts Centre, in Greenock, culminating with an exhibition.

The Orchard View development has been recognised for its contribution to mental health wellbeing and arts within a mental health environment; and was invited to exhibit material intended for installation within the completed Orchard View home for 42 patients. Memory boxes to fill the memory wall, along with photographs of local features. Other drawings and paintings lined the walls, produced by individuals with mental health issues, within the Greenock area.

Relatives and friends of patients along with artists, staff and those associated with the Orchard View development were invited to a private viewing of the Exhibition on the 12th October 2016; giving insight into a few of the ‘art’ projects to adorn the patients’ new home.

As specialists in the development, investment and management of primary healthcare premises in the UK; Apollo has been privileged to work as both Project Manager and currently as Employer’s Agent on this hub Project. While England awaits the outcome of the Estates and Technology Transformation Fund, Scottish hubs continue to support the Primary and Social Care infrastructure with refurbishment and new Projects. Orchard View will be a healthcare benefit to the Community of Greenock and Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS.

Apollo are pleased to announce that its Two Rivers Medical Centre development in Ipswich has reached practical completion. The new 2,200 sqm medical facility has been developed for the Two Rivers Practice and reaching practical completion marks the handover of the latest high quality building to be developed by Apollo.

The building has an integrated pharmacy, and includes a mix of 40 clinical spaces, including minor operations and a specialist triage suite.  The facility also has capacity for mobile diagnostic facilities, and will give the practice, the largest in Suffolk, the capability and flexibility to offer a more diverse range of services to its 25,000 patients. The building also includes specialist GP training rooms and a teaching seminar suite and will become a training centre for excellence for the Ipswich locality.

A BREEAM ‘excellent’ rated building, the facility includes a solar PV system and an electric car charging point and will ensure that the operational costs of the new facility are minimised for the practice.

The building incorporates a series of public art compositions in which Apollo commissioned an art co-ordinator who worked with the practice and its patient participation group to decide on colour schemes, signage, paintings and bespoke furniture. A key feature of the arts and interiors work included the rebranding of the Two Rivers Medical Practice, giving the practice a new identity and logo, the logo featuring heavily as part of the signage installed within the building.

Commenting on behalf of Two Rivers Medical Practice, Dr Jonathan Knight said: “It has taken many years of hard work for us to get to this point and we are grateful to Apollo and all the individuals from many different organisations that have supported this project. The ultimate beneficiaries will be our 25,000 patients whom we serve and the local community within which we work. We have now realised our dream of a 21st century primary care medical facility from which we can provide care for generations to come.”

Julian Harvey, Director of Gill Associates who acted on behalf of the practice as their technical monitoring surveyor commented: “The project has been exemplary in every way.”

The medical centre will open its doors to the public for the first time on the 11^th of July.

Leader of Ipswich Borough Council visited the Two Rivers Medical Centre site in Woodbridge Road East on Wednesday to mark the milestone.

The centre will bring together the merged Lattice Barn and Woodbridge Road surgeries and will serve more than 25,000 patients in north-east Ipswich after it is finished this summer.

Dr Jonathan Knight, one of the GPs who work at the centre, said: “It has taken many years of hard work for us to get to this point.

“We are grateful to all the individuals from many different organisations that have supported this project.

“Our staff and patients must be given huge credit for managing with sub-standard facilities for so many years; now we are close to realising a 21st century facility from which we can provide care for generations to come.”

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde together with hub West Scotland are to commence work on the new ‘Inverclyde NHS AOPCCB’ project in Greenock; an in-patient hospital facility for mental health services.  This shall provide a 12 bedded adult mental health Ward and a 30 bedded elderly dementia Ward, which includes 6 beds for palliative care.

Delivered through Apollo’s joint venture framework, hub West Scotland; Apollo has provided development management services from inception to financial close. They will also project management services through construction.

Designed by Norr Architects to offer a dementia friendly environment, the project will offer a calming environment by connecting internal and external spaces, and is scheduled for completion by the main contractor Morgan Sindall, in June 2017.

Debbie McNamara, Chief Executive at hub West Scotland said: “The Inverclyde Care Home will provide an outstanding facility to improve care for adults with complex mental health needs.”

Faced in brick and timber, each ward will have access to its own landscaped courtyard, and a secure garden wrapping around the Southern and Western aspects, with views over the River Clyde.

GPs, staff and patients from the Two Rivers Medical Centre Practice recently visited the construction site of the new Two Rivers Medical Centre in Ipswich to inspect progress with the construction phase of the project.

The GPs, accompanied by the Apollo team and Barnes Construction were able to walk around the site which included a guided tour of the new building.

As part of the day’s activities, the tour of the new building was followed by an Arts and Interiors workshop. As part of the workshop, DGA (Interior Design Lead) and EMP Projects (Arts Coordinator) provided the group with computer graphic images on what the building will look like inside once completed.

Amongst details presented included mood boards which feature samples of floor finishes and colour themes for walls and furniture.

An Arts Strategy was also presented to the group.  The Arts Strategy has been produced in consultation with the GPs, staff and patients from the Practice Patient Participation Group and will focus on creating art that will be reflective of the people that will use the new facility. A number of local artist have been shortlisted and it intended that one local artist will now be commissioned to produce a piece of public art for the building.

The new 2,200sqm medical centre is currently 20 weeks into a 52 week construction programme and is due to be completed in July 2016.

The Shields Health and Care Centre, located in Glasgow has won the “Best Primary Care Development” for 2015 at the Building Better Healthcare Awards ceremony held in London. This was the 17^th Annual BBH award ceremony and the prizes were handed out by TV presenter Gethin Jones.

The building drew together a range of health and social care services within the Pollokshields community of Glasgow and incorporated a unique community garden which is managed by Urban Roots, a community led organisation which offers a range of activities to promote positive health and well-being.

The £2.7m building incorporates 2 GP practices, the Community Health and the Councils Social Care team providing services for 4,000 patients.

The Centre was completed earlier this year and was officially opened by Shona Robison the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health.

The Shields Centre is one of many health buildings currently being developed by Hub West Scotland, a public private development company in which Apollo is a partner organisation and provided the development and construction services for this award winning project.

The ‘Topping Out Ceremony’ of the Maryhill Health and Social Care Centre was recently performed by Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Health together with Andrew Robertson, the Chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in front of a wide selection of guests including the future occupiers of the building together with members of the construction team and Hub West Scotland. This major project is part of the Hub West Scotland delivery programme which Apollo is a co-founding partner and has been actively involved with the management of the construction of the building.

This £12m Health and Social Care building extending to 4600m2 over 4 floors is prominently located in the heart of Maryhill Town Centre to the north of Glasgow and is due for completion in Spring 2016.

The new centre will provide improved access to a range of Primary Care  and Social Services including GP practices, physiotherapy, podiatry, community dental services , district nurses, health visitors together with a Mental Health hub , all supported by an onsite pharmacy. The building is incorporating an Arts and Environment Strategy to enhance the wellbeing of visitors and staff and to engender a sense of community ownership.