A new integrated social care and health centre is to be built in Sandwell, West Midlands, as local contractor Willmott Dixon starts work on the site this month (December 2020).

Procured via the Constructing West Midlands Framework, the £11.7m scheme for Sandwell Council will see the creation of a three-storey facility that will provide supported independent living provision. The integrated social care and health centre, which is being built in Harvest Road, Rowley Regis, will include 80 individual bedrooms and resident facilities such as a hairdressing salon, a physiotherapy facility, agile working spaces, locker rooms, large communal areas, kitchen space, laundry facilities, treatment rooms and resident lounges. Alongside the wide range of state-of-the-art amenities, the centre will also have features that will ensure accessibility to aid persons with disabilities throughout.

The facility, which is also being designed by Sandwell Council, will make up part of their wider regeneration vision – ‘Sandwell Vision 2030’ and five-year business plan ‘Big plans for a great place’ - to create a healthier, more successful future for the people of Sandwell with community wealth at the heart of its mission.

Nick Heath, operations director at Willmott Dixon, said:

“We are very excited to be expanding our working relationship with Sandwell Council as we also have teams currently on-site at three of their education developments. This integrated social care and health centre facility will provide much-needed support to local residents and will support the council’s goals to invest in community wealth – ensuring that people live and age well within the region.

“As with all our projects, we aim to leave a lasting legacy and have therefore committed to investing £575k back into the local community during this development. Our teams will be working in partnership with Sandwell Council to support their employment and skills plan. With a key focus on youth unemployment, we will be running a variety of community initiatives, including career mentoring, mock interviews, CV advice, careers guidance, virtual school and college visits, careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support and safety talks. Our community engagement specialists will also be working with and donating to local community projects.”

As part of its work to leave a lasting legacy on the communities it works within, Willmott Dixon will also be working in partnership with several local schools during this development.

Mark Drake, Constructing West Midlands representative and Strategic Lead Design Manager for Sandwell Council said:

“The procurement of this project via the CWM framework has already delivered significant cost and time savings for the council and its residents. We look forward to building upon this legacy and to working in partnership with Willmott Dixon to deliver a unique social care and health centre for the residents of Sandwell Council.”

It is anticipated that the integrated social care and health centre facility will be complete by June 2022.

Willmott Dixon is experienced in delivering schemes both within the industry and across the region. The contractor is currently working on-site locally to deliver expansion projects for the Langley Academy, the West Bromwich Collegiate Academy and the Birstnall Hall Academy. Willmott Dixon also recently completed on-site at the award-winning Winwood Heights extra-care facility in Nottingham.

A fully OJEU compliant framework, Constructing West Midlands has a 16-year track record in the delivery of publicly funded projects. A member of the National Association of Construction Frameworks (NACF), it offers a unique level of framework flexibility to suit individual client requirements, includes robust KPIs and is committed to social value and the real living wage.