St Clements Surgery
is getting new
premises
Find out about the new build and stay up to date with the latest information below.
What would the new building mean for patients?
Modern facilities
Digital health hub
Minor surgery and treatment rooms
Space to work alongside
other services and local organisations
Dedicated staff
training space
Privacy, dignity and access for all
Three disabled
visitor parking bays
Why does St Clements Surgery need new premises?
The practice is based in a dated 1960s building on Tanner Street in Winchester, serving more than 17,500 local people and part of the Winchester City Primary Care Network. Its premises have reached the end of their useful life: they are far too small for the number of patients the practice cares for and aren’t fit to provide primary care services into the future. Waiting areas have no windows, the building doesn’t work well for patients with disabilities, rooms are cramped, and the site isn’t energy efficient.
The practice has long needed better premises and has been working for almost two decades to find a new home. Together with Winchester City Council and NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, the practice has developed a proposal for a new medical centre space on the Upper Brook Street car park, to create the facilities the practice team needs for the future of care in Winchester city centre.
You can view the plans below.
This site for the new building was selected in an options appraisal almost two decades ago as part of the city centre regeneration plans, but has never before been able to progress due to delays with the wider city centre work. A location to serve city centre patients has always been crucial: there are no other practices based nearby, so it’s vital that St Clements remains here. This means that site options were very limited.
The medical centre will be only metres from the current practice building, protecting crucial access to primary care in the heart of the city. The council has appointed primary care property specialist Assura to deliver the new centre.
Take a look at the 3D reception and consulting room below by clicking on the images.
What practice staff say:
“Our current building is being held together by ‘sticky plasters’, so a new building is very exciting & long overdue.”
“Many rooms are far too small. Some are ‘dark cupboards’; as a partner I feel very unhappy putting any of our staff in there to work, but we often have no choice.”
“Our current building is very old and run down, patients always comment and we have been promising a new building for years. A new building with a better layout, more energy efficient and greener would be amazing.”
The Assura Community Fund
Through its national community fund, Assura – the appointed developer for the scheme - offers small grants to health-improving charity projects in the communities around all new medical centres that it builds. It means that a local health project in Winchester can benefit from a grant, and this will be explored with local organisations as the proposed scheme moves ahead.
Click here to suggest a local project you think should be invited to apply.
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Can patients get involved with the design?The internal design is being finalised and the Patient Reference Group will be feeding in ideas. You’ll be able to look at plans and CGI images of how the space will look on this website.
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When will the new building open?The building is scheduled to open in Autumn 2024.
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Would I need to register as a patient again?No – all current patients would automatically move with the practice to the new building, and there’s nothing that patients need to do. The practice will keep all patients informed on progress of the proposed new building through its patient group, website, social media channels and local outlets.
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Why was this site chosen?Finding a city centre site for the new building was absolutely vital to the practice – as the only surgery serving patients in this part of Winchester. This site was selected in an options appraisal almost two decades ago as part of the city centre regeneration plans, but has never before been able to progress due to delays with the wider city centre work. The city centre location means that site options were very limited.
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How would I get to the new building?The new building will sit on the Upper Brook Street carpark, less than half a mile from the existing surgery site, and remains easy to get to on foot, by bicycle, on public transport or by car.
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What would happen to the practice’s existing premises?The existing building would close and cease to be GP premises.
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What car parking will be available?Given the city centre location, there is no change to the parking options for patients using the practice: just as they are now, patients will use nearby public car parks. There will be dedicated parking at the new building for patients with disabilities.
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Who are Assura?Assura is a primary care property specialist based in Altrincham. Assura has been appointed by Winchester City Council as the developer of the new building and will be the practice’s long-term property partner, leasing the building to the GPs via a long-term arrangement agreed by the ICB and independently assessed as being value for money to the NHS. Assura has been operating for just over 20 years and has developed many new surgery builds around the country, as well as improving primary care facilities and extending existing GP surgery buildings. Assura currently looks after over 600 primary care and GP surgery buildings across the UK.
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Will the building be ‘green’ and environmentally friendly?The pre-approved design limits what sustainable technologies can be used but overall the building will be energy-efficient, with a BREEAM Excellent rating for its sustainability performance: this is best practice and represents the top 10% of new, non-domestic buildings in the UK. The central light-well within the building allows for natural lighting, and natural ventilation will be used where suitable. There will also be PV Panels on the roof of the building to generate onsite energy for the practice.
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How have patients and the public been consulted and updated?St Clements Surgery Patient Reference Group is a virtual team of approximately 400 members. The practice will be working with the group to consult, gather views and involve them in the development of the proposal. The practice and Assura will also engage proactively with the local community.