Bury, Tameside and Glossop Community Solutions (BTGCS) has commenced building work on its Ashton development. Due for completion in December 2008, the centre is being developed through a public/private partnership involving Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Community Solutions for Primary Care.
Creative use of space and design means patients will be able to access a wide range of health and wellbeing services all under one roof. These will include general GP services along with a number of community services such as community dentistry, a pharmacy, physiotherapy, mobile diagnostics and facilities for community activities.
Chairman of BTGCS, Alan Maden, said: “This state-of-the art building together with the services to be provided in it will bring immense benefits to the people of Tameside and play a very significant part in improving their health and well-being.
It will be the most important primary care development in the area for at least a generation.”
As an intrinsic part of the design philosophy and in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of the new centre, the build will incorporate a series of features to promote sustainable technologies, including: rainwater harvesting systems supplying reclaimed water, combined heat and power (CHP) units to provide continuous base heating as well as topping up or supplementing the conventional electricity supply in the buildings, and roof mounted solar thermal panels to provide 30% of the daily hot water demand.
