Sutherland Lodge Surgery, a local GP practice in Chelmsford has a new look thanks to recently completed refurbishment work.
Councillors, staff and patients, and healthcare leaders attended an official unveiling of the new and improved surgery.
The surgery, an old converted Victorian house, was not built with modern health care in mind and needed work done to improve facilities and accessibility. Thanks to the refurbishment, extra clinical space has been added, allowing the practice to offer even more patients appointments.
The updated clinical space will allow the practice to better manage the increased demand for appointments at the GP practice and improve patient experience.
We are delighted to announce that the refurbishment work and Sutherland Lodge Surgery is now complete. We look forward to welcoming our patients into the new and improved surgery over the coming weeks and months.
It has taken over a year make these changes at the surgery. We needed to balance completing building work with keeping the surgery open so that our patients could continue to access services, and I want to thank our team and patients for working with us. Disruptions have been kept to an absolute minimum.
The entire team at Sutherland Lodge Surgery is looking forward to making the very best use of the upgraded facilities to provide enhanced services for our patients.
Joanne Quinn, Practice Manager for Sutherland Lodge Surgery
Upgrading existing local health facilities helps to both increase access to established NHS services and improves the patient experience for residents. It’s great to see a hard-working surgery like Sutherland Lodge benefiting from around £500k of developer contributions collected by the city council to support the delivery of new community infrastructure.
Cllr Natacha Dudley, Cabinet Member for an Active Chelmsford
This investment supports our long-term commitment to improving access to primary care, integrating services, and ensuring care is delivered closer to home. I would like to commend the dedication of the surgery team, who have continued to support patients throughout the renovation works.
Tom Abell, Chief Executive for NHS Mid and South Essex
Along with the additional clinical space, the new layout will help the practice deliver robust infection prevention practices. Wider corridors and a more spacious patient waiting area will also enhance safety and comfort.
New breastfeeding and baby changing rooms now mean that parents can care for their babies on site with toilet facilities and corridors improved for those with different physical needs and abilities.
Building work began at the surgery in November 2023 and was divided into three phases so that the surgery could continue to provide services to patients throughout.
The new layout at the surgery has been jointly funded by NHS England and Chelmsford City Council.