A new £18 million health and social work centre in Renfrew will open its doors for the first time on Monday.

In a first for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the state-of-the art building will see 11 GPs from the three practices relocate to the new unit.

Renfrew Health and Social Work Centre in Ferry Road will serve the town’s 20,000 residents in what health chiefs have described as “fit for purpose facilities”.

And as well as GP services, the new centre will bring under one roof a dental service, physiotherapy, podiatry, speech and language therapy, community nursing, the joint learning disability service for all of Renfrewshire and the Renfrew area social work team.

Councillor Derek Mackay, chairman of the Renfrewshire Community Health Partnership (CHP) and leader of Renfrewshire Council, said: “The opening of this outstanding facility marks a major milestone in regeneration of Renfrew’s town centre. Bringing together all these services under one roof will ensure that residents have excellent and seamless access to the services they need, when they need them.

“I know from speaking to people in the town that they have been looking forward to this innovative facility opening and I know that they are as enthusiastic as I am.”

David Leese, director of the CHP, said: “This is a landmark, flagship health centre development that will provide the very best facilities for community-based health services.

“Also, working in partnership with social work colleagues is important in tackling a range of health and social issues and this joint development will bring real benefits for the people of Renfrew.

“We have created fantastic, bright, modern facility that is fit for the 21st century which we know our patients and staff will be proud of.”

Mr Leese said the way the building has been laid out aims to make people who use it less anxious and boost their feelings of wellness.

People coming to this building may of course be uneasy about their health and feeling anxious,” said Mr Leese. “The building design aims to take the stress out of the process. It’s easy to see where you need to go, you don’t need to rely on signs or asking people, all of which reduces anxiety.

“There’s no other building like this across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. This shows what you can do if the resources are there.”

The new Renfrew Health and Social Work Centre is a joint development between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Renfrewshire Council and local residents have also had a major hand in shaping the new centre from the outset of planning three years ago.

Thanks to the contribution from the public, a number of changes to the original plans have been made. Pupils from Renfrew High School have also played their part and have come along to planning meetings and shared their views on the services that should be provided at the centre.

The project architects, Holmes, have worked closely with the CHP, council and community representatives to create a bright, airy welcoming space with lots of natural light.

Community Council chairwoman Effie McGachie, 79, has lived in Renfrew since 1947 and was involved in the consultation process which brought the building into being.

Effie said: “I want to see Renfrew back on its feet like it was when I first came here in 1947.

With this building we’ve got the same facilities we had in the old health centre, but this is really nice and clean and it’s so vast. There’s lots of room. The best thing is that all the facilities are now in one building.”

Project architect Kerry Boyle of Holmes said: “Holmes was delighted to work with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Renfrewshire Council on this prestigious health project.

“The successful design was the result of a unique collaboration between the design team, Interserve PSL as the contractor, the client and the local community.”

FACT FILE

• The Renfrew Health and Social Work Centre building floor area is 5260 sq metres, approximately the size of one football pitch.
• The site itself covers 11,515 sq metres, which equates to just over two football pitches, with a large public amenity area of 3275sq metres, connected directly to Renfrew town centre.
• The building used approximately 200 tonnes of steel. It also features 1115sq metres of glazing, which makes up more than a third of the external wall area.
• The building was designed to minimise its environmental footprint.
• Heating demand is reduced through the use of a biomass boiler, an alternative heat source to conventional fossil fuels, reducing the building’s carbon emissions to almost zero.
• The building’s facade was designed to keep the interior cool and maximise natural ventilation while also maximising the amount of natural daylight in the building.