“We, our patients and Girlington district have waited a long time for this. We almost cannot believe it is happening at last. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Apollo and we are excited about the future.”

Graham Symonds, Business Manager for the Carlton Medical Practice.

Apollo Capital Projects has recently obtained detailed planning consent from Bradford Metropolitan District Council for a replacement surgery for the Carlton Medical Practice.

Apollo were appointed in October 2009 to take a fresh approach to the proposed development at the practice”s required location. This was followed by extensive consultation with the patient population and the local community during the summer and a striking, new, 2 storey 800m2 building will be constructed on the site of the former St Philips School playground on Girlington Road in Bradford, only a short distance from the existing surgery premises.

Carlton Medical Practice is a 4 GP practice serving 6,000 patients. Their existing surgery was originally a domestic dwelling which was converted over 100 years ago to a doctor”s surgery. The end of terrace building, despite numerous alterations and an extension, is no longer appropriate for the current day needs of a modern healthcare practice.

The new building will provide 5 GP consulting rooms together with 2 nurse consulting rooms, a treatment room and a health education area. The central waiting area will benefit from being double height offering direct access to the pharmacy unit which is integral to the building. There will be a dedicated car parking area to the rear providing 22 spaces – a significant increase on the parking currently available at the existing surgery. The building”s contemporary design is capable of being readily extended should the need arise in the future and the design will provide a BREEAM ”Excellent” rating which will assist in reducing its carbon footprint and keep running costs to a minimum.

This iconic new building will become an important landmark for the local community. Construction works should commence during the Spring of next year.

Bradford & Airedale Teaching PCT has confirmed NHS funding for this scheme which will enable the practice to plan for the future to serve the local community in this part of Bradford.

The building skyline next to Rhyl railway station has been signficantly improved with the completion of the impressive new three storey West Rhyl Primary Care Centre.

Playing an important role in the West Rhyl regeneration plan, developed on a former derelict site, the new building opened its doors to patients and visitors on Monday, 17th May, following 12 months of construction by local contractor, Watkin Jones. The contemporary appearance provided by the building”s brick and render fabric is adorned with extensive glazing and zinc panelling.

The 1890m2 building, only a minute”s walk from the retail and commercial centre of Rhyl, offers a range of complementary services which will improve the health and well being of the local community. With the main occupant being The Clarence Medical Centre, a seven strong GP practice serving over 18,000 patients, other users include the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Denbighshire County Council (Adult Social Services) and Rhyl City Strategy, operating a Fit for Work Service. The separate pharmacy, which boasts an impressive curved and canted zinc wall, is operated by Lloyds.

Accessed through a glazed entrance, the main staircase has an eye-catching oak wall as a back drop against a 4,000 year old driftwood art sculpture which is hanging within the stunning 3 storey atrium. The driftwood originated in Scotland, and offers a unique art feature to complement the contemporary external building design.

The building is arranged with patient access to both the ground and first floors which comprise consulting, treatment and counselling rooms, together with a minor operations treatment room. The upper floor provides staff office accommodation and meeting rooms with access to a balcony area which offers panoramic views towards the hills of central Wales. The building interior was designed to provide wide open corridors, good natural daylight, effective signage and an overriding fresh appearance, with glass tile mosaics in the main reception and on the first floor waiting areas reflecting the waves and the sea.

The completion of this new facility is a culmination of collaborative work between Apollo, Clarence House Surgery, the Health Board and Denbighshire County Council. The building is an excellent new addition to the Rhyl environment serving the needs of the local community and is an investment which the Apollo Medical Group will retain within its property portfolio.

Apollo are delighted to sponsor Jack Ronan and George Bullard (pictured opposite), contemporaries in their second year at the University of Edinburgh, when they embark later this week on a gruelling 2,500 mile bike ride through Europe in aid of Breast Cancer Haven – a charity which aims to support the physical and emotional needs of those affected by the disease in the UK. (www.breastcancerhaven.org.uk/)

Starting their journey in Suffolk, Jack and George will cycle through France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Italy, then down the Adriatic Coast through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, the Greek mainland, and then finally take a ferry to the island of Zakynthos, where their trip will end.

Travelling light with only a tent, sleeping bags and a couple of good pairs of cycling shorts, they plan on averaging around 100 miles per day, and with a deadline of 17 June to arrive in Zakynthos, there will be no time to enjoy any tourist attractions on their way down.

Jack and George will be providing ”blog” updates and photos to Apollo as their journey progresses which we will feature in this news section.

We wish both Jack and George the best of luck on their travels!!

Since being appointed as Preferred Developer for the SA1 Waterfront Healthcare Development, Apollo has been working with Swansea Local Health Board to shape a scheme that will not only suit the changing needs of healthcare in this region of Wales but will optimise and enhance this unique, complex, urban development opportunity for the people of Swansea.

The new building will incorporate the Tawe Medical Practice, Port Tenant Practice, Eastside Dental Practice and the University of Wales Swansea School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health Board enhanced patient services. The building will be circa 3,300sqm incorporating 10% for future expansion of services. The mix of tenants and approach to healthcare provision is unique in Wales and the strategy for training GPs directly within the work environment will pay dividends for the future of GMS services. The General Practices have a combined list of 15,000 patients, the dentist in excess of 10,000 patients and the Health Board enhanced services 30,000 patients. In addition, the University population could extend to over 70 medical students and staff which will add to the vibrant, busy, work and leisure environment of SA1.

The site of SA1 was previously a dock and industrial area which declined in use following World War I and the demise of the copper industry. In the 1970s it became a redevelopment area and with the assistance of the WDA (Welsh Development Agency) the site was extended through the purchase of land from Associated British Ports. The Assembly Government assigned a team to kick start the development, which included large infrastructure works, and Benoy were employed as master plan architect. The vision started to become reality for this exciting new venture for Swansea.

The new development will be on Plot A13 which is located on the primary gateway into SA1. This is an important site for SA1 and requires careful design to ensure it makes the necessary statement for the future of the area while maintaining a human scale for the patients who will visit. The size, shape and location of the site provided a challenge for the Apollo team and their Architects, B3. With a wide mix of tenants, a small site area and a need for public and staff parking, the only way was up! Therefore the building will be set on 5 levels with basement car parking and 4 floors above. The challenge of controlling the high foot fall to the individual areas will be met through the provision of a central atrium area, extending over the 4 floors, which will become the main decision point allowing easy access for patients and visitors to the building.

The scheme was submitted to the Welsh Assembly Government for funding approval on the 11 February 2010. Apollo and their development partners are hopeful of a positive outcome following the Primary Care Estates Forum on 4 March 2010.

The Brig Royd Surgery in Ripponden has recently completed its biggest transformation since its last move back in the mid 1980”s when, on 28 September 2009, Apollo handed the practice the keys to their new building located opposite their former premises in the heart of Ripponden, West Yorkshire.

The surgery opened its doors to patients on 5 October and the pharmacy operated by local pharmacist Ryburn Pharmacy opened on 19 October. The new building was officially opened by the now retired but former lead GP of the practice, Dr Brian Whitaker, who gave the building his full support and good wishes at the opening event held on 16 October. The official opening party and celebrations were hosted by the practice who invited all the parties who helped towards creating this state of the art medical facility together with friends, family, patients and colleagues, with live music provided by the locally based Calderdale Big Band.

The new surgery has a feature double height octagonal shaped waiting area with a glass top light. Hanging within this space is a bespoke piece of art, designed and constructed by local artist, Mark Beeston. The mobile display symbolises the local Ripponden environment including the river, plants and flowers, each with specific medicinal qualities.

The building itself has nine consulting and training rooms plus four nurse consulting rooms and two treatment rooms, one of which is designed for minor operations. Integrated within the waiting area is a pharmacy which also relocated from within Ripponden. At first floor level there is ”hot desk” accommodation for health visitors and district nruses when they are in the area. The building benefits from underfloor heating which works in conjunction with an Air Source Heat pump to help reduce the building”s carbon footprint and lower energy bills.

This project”s successful conclusion comes after three years of collaborative work by Apollo Capital Projects, the practice, NHS Calderdale, the local authority and the local building contractor, Southdale Build Solutions. The 1200m2 building makes a positive contribution to the built environment and provides excellent new premises for the delivery of modern health services for the residents of Ripponden and the surrounding area.

Dr Ben Wyatt, GP partner, said:

“We are so grateful to all involved in the construction of our wonderful building. We now have the modern facilities that our practice population deserves.”