Pupils from Callicroft Primary School joined local dignitaries to officially open the new Patchway Hub in Rodway Road on Thursday afternoon (15th December).
Patchway’s new purpose-built centre for health and council services for children and young people entered service in early September, bringing essential services right to the heart of the community, with parents and carers of children of all ages able to access advice, support and services under one roof.
As well as a new library and a Council ‘One-Stop Shop’, the hub also provides a base for health and council professionals who work with children in the locality, including representatives of South Gloucestershire Council’s Children and Young People’s service, North Bristol NHS Trust and NHS South Gloucestershire.
Deputy Chair of South Gloucestershire Council Ben Walker officially cut the ribbon to open the new facility, assisted by Patchway Mayor Cllr Eric Gordon and Ann Remmers of North Bristol NHS Trust.
Following the ceremony, guests and staff at the hub were treated to a rendition of Christmas carols by Year 5 pupils from the local primary school before enjoying drinks and mince pies in the new library.
Cllr Walker, who described the hub as a “flagship” building in South Gloucestershire said:
“The hub is fantastic news for the residents of Patchway along with its neighbouring towns and parishes, offering so many services under one roof. I’m very pleased to be able to open it, underlining SGC’s commitment to its communities.”
South Gloucestershire Council executive member for Children and Young People Sheila Cook said:
“The new Hub is a very positive step forward in the delivery of vital services for children and young people in South Gloucestershire. With service providers from the council and health service brought together under one roof, we will be able to work more closely with our partners to deliver the services that local people need, in one convenient location.”
Teresa Bailey, North Bristol NHS Trust’s Area Health Manager for South Gloucestershire, said:
“The new Patchway Hub has given us the opportunity to bring our staff together from various different locations across South Gloucestershire and has also enabled us to work more closely with our colleagues from the local authority.”
“We have moved the Community Children’s Health Partnership staff working in South Gloucestershire into the two new hubs at Patchway and Kingswood.”
“The staff that have moved include community paediatrics, child and adolescent mental health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, school health nursing, health visitors and speech and language therapists.”
“Midwives have also joined us from the Women and Children’s Directorate at North Bristol NHS Trust. We are all delighted at being under roof and it will make the patient’s journey much smoother.”
Lindsay Gee, Programme Lead, Children’s Health Services, Disabled Children & CAMHS at NHS South Gloucestershire, said:
“The new Patchway Hub provides not only a central base for the range of professionals who work with children and young people, it also provides a focal point for the local community to ensure they can access a whole range of advice and information on their doorstep. Having seen the success of the Yate West Gate Centre, the first of the hubs which opened last year, we know people really value local services.”
Patchway Locality Hub is one of three such facilities to be opened in South Gloucestershire, with new hubs also operational in Kingswood and Yate.
The hub aims to create a more localised approach to the way services for children and young people are delivered, providing a gateway to information, advice and services that meets the needs of individuals and families in the community.
As well as children’s services, the Patchway Hub also houses the new Patchway Library and One-Stop Shop offering access to a range of council services for all residents. It is designed to high environmental standards, with a range of energy-saving measures including solar panels and automatic lighting that helps to reduce the district’s carbon footprint.
Photo 1 (L-R): Cllr Eric Gordon (Chair, Patchway Town Council), Ann Remmers (Clinical Director, North Bristol NHS Trust), Ben Walker (Deputy Chair, South Gloucestershire Council).
Photo 2 (L-R): Cllrs Eric Gordon and Ben Walker make their speeches.
Photo 3: Children from Callicroft Primary School sing Christmas carols in the foyer.
More photos on PicasaWeb: album; slideshow
Related link: Patchway Hub (The Journal)
