Victoria Medical Centre says new Eastbourne site is ‘trailblazing’

VMC’s brand-new purpose-built surgery was opened in Victoria Drive on Monday, August 9 following help from Primary Care Surveyors.

The centre, which has been in the pipeline for 15 years, brings three practices together – merging the town’s Green Street, Enys Road, and Bolton Road surgeries

The new three-storey building, with capacity for 30,000 patients, will feature an on-site pharmacy, private hire suite for diagnostics, an outsourced call centre and electronic monitoring of patients in care homes.

A spokesperson from Primary Care Surveyors said, “The centre is trailblazing new ways of running a practice for the NHS, including an open plan area for doctors to hot desk in a shared office space providing an opportunity to share best practices and support junior doctors whilst efficiently freeing up the use of the consultancy rooms.

“Its innovative design will enable hospital outpatients to be seen in the building, with fewer steps to see a consultant.”

The terms of the lease were negotiated by Primary Care Surveyors, specialists in property advice and management for the primary care sector.

The company worked on behalf of the practice to monitor aspects of the project including liaison with suppliers through to its bespoke finishes.

Dr Mark Gaffney, practice manager at VMC, said, “With no prior background knowledge of building, having an expert working on our behalf with such specialist knowledge was essential.

“The reputation of Primary Care Surveyors was very well-founded and proved to be invaluable.

“They worked through the pandemic to get the maximum out of the build and helped us to create a modern medical centre for the 21st century. I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing it without them.”

Adam Thompson, director of Primary Care Surveyors, said, “To be able to apply our specialist expertise into a prestigious project such as the Victoria Medical Centre is an exciting privilege.

“It has been great to be involved with such a trailblazing project, both in terms of the building itself and its features, and also through the new and improved processes that the building will now enable for the doctors working there and their patients.”

Lead partners from VMC have also opened a ‘pioneering’ new medical practice in The Beacon.