Church Street Refurbishment Project 2026
**ONE DAY CLOSURE – FRIDAY 20th MARCH**
Our Church Street branch will be closed on Friday 20th March as we replace the entrance doors. All clinical services will be carried out from Thorley or Haymeads Health Centre and our team will continue to be available by phone or online consult form. We will reopen at 8.30am on Monday 23rd March.
**Latest Update** Phase 2 & 3
(Starting Monday 2nd March 2026)
We are pleased to confirm that Phase 1 of our refurbishment project is due to complete this week. By Monday, our administrative teams will have successfully moved from various areas around the building into a new, modern open‑plan workspace on the lower ground floor. This important milestone allows us to begin the next stages of the project.
What’s Happening in Phases 2 & 3
Phases 2 and 3 will run concurrently and focus on transforming the ground floor of the practice to improve patient flow, accessibility, and the way our teams work together to provide patient care.
Key improvements include:
- Reconfiguring several small, awkwardly shaped areas to create two new clinical rooms, increasing our capacity for patient appointments.
- Relocating the reception front desk to the Church Street entrance, enabling our team to greet and support patients as soon as they arrive through the brand new automatic double doors.
- Moving the reception back‑office team into newly configured space on the ground floor, where they will work more closely with the clinical triage team. This will support faster, more coordinated handling of online requests, appointment queries, and patient communications.
- Refreshing the entrance and waiting areas, including new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, and new, more suitable waiting room chairs.
- Improved accessibility throughout the ground floor, which will be able to accommodate four clinicians once complete.
This is the most exciting phase of the project and will significantly enhance the patient experience.
Timeline and Expected Disruption
Work will begin on Monday 2nd March and is expected to last approximately 4–5 weeks. During this period, there will be increased disruption at Church Street with clinical access on the 1st floor only. Patients with limited mobility will therefore need to be seen at Thorley or Haymead Health Centres.
To help us manage this phase safely and efficiently, we kindly ask patients to:
- Only attend Church Street if you have a pre‑booked appointment.
- Visit Thorley Health Centre to use the blood pressure self‑monitoring machine.
- Drop off samples and prescription requests at either Thorley or Haymeads Health Centre.
- Use the Church Street entrance only. Our Market Square entrance is no longer available for patient access.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while this essential work takes place.
Why These Changes Matter
These improvements will allow us to deliver care in a more comfortable, accessible, and efficient environment. By bringing our reception and clinical triage teams together, we will be able to respond to patient requests more quickly and provide a smoother experience for everyone.
Frequently asked questions below ⇓
Improving access, capacity & patient comfort
Over the coming months, we’ll be refurbishing our Church Street surgery. This important investment will improve accessibility, increase clinical capacity and create a more comfortable, inclusive environment for patients and staff. These changes will help us continue to meet the needs of our growing community now and into the future.
Why We’re Refurbishing
Church Street surgery has served our community well for many years, but its layout reflects how healthcare was delivered decades ago. Patient need, services and ways of working have evolved significantly and it’s time for our building to evolve too.
Improving access is central to this project and replacing the current current aluminium entrance doors, which are difficult for wheelchair users, people with mobility aids and families with buggies to navigate, with automatic double doors will make a significant change.
Funding & Scope
This refurbishment is being made possible through funding from NHS England and financial contribution from the Church Street Partnership.
Funding from the NHS England Primary Care Utilisation Fund supports many of the improvements designed to increase capacity and enhance patient access. Alongside this, the partnership is investing substantially to ensure the surgery is modern, welcoming and fit for the future.
This investment allows us to:
- Reconfigure internal space to create and equip four additional clinical rooms
- Install automatic entrance doors and relocate our reception desk to improve access and flow
- Upgrade waiting area chairs and furnishings
- Refresh décor and upgrade flooring throughout patient areas
- Improve staff working areas to support efficiency, collaboration and safety
What the Refurbishment Means for Patients
The most visible change for patients will be a more accessible and welcoming entrance, including the new automatic doors and relocated reception desk.
Two new accessible consultation and treatment rooms on the ground floor will reduce the need for patients to attend first floor appointments.
We’ve carefully selected interior finishes to create a calm and reassuring environment. Our Purple Star & Hidden Disabilities approaches will continue to guide how we support patients with both visible and non-visible needs.
(image for illustrative purposes only)
What the Refurbishment Means for Staff
Improved clinical space will enable us to host a wider range of Primary Care Network (PCN) services on site, such as physiotherapy, counselling and dieticians. These services are arranged by the PCN and availability may vary.
Our new reception desk will enable staff to welcome and support patients from the moment they arrive. Behind the scenes, essential upgrades to heating, plumbing and lighting systems will improve comfort, reliability and sustainability.
FAQs
This government funding allows us to increase clinical capacity, upgrade areas of the surgery and prepare for a growing local population. With our patient list currently around 16,500 and expected to rise in the coming years, this refurbishment will help ensure we can continue to care for our community.
Thank you for your patience and support while we improve our surgery
Church Street Partnership
