Williams Gunter Hardwick - General Letting - Yate, Bristol

Date: 15 Apr 2008

A NATIONAL healthcare business that was founded in Bristol is expanding after moving into a new city centre premises.

The Healthcare at Home Group, which provides specialist medical treatments to patients in their own homes, has opened the doors to a new Bristol clinic at 1, 3 & 5 Whiteladies Road.

The company, which employs 50 staff locally, has more than quadrupled its space in the move, taking on the 10,027 sq ft building on a flexible ten year lease for an annual rent of £150,000.

Healthcare at Home has spent more than £400,000 to transform the former offices into a state of the art treatment suite and consulting rooms; all of which have been created with the patient experience very much at the centre of the design. The firm was previously based at Oakland's Business Park in Yate.

"We are delighted with the new clinic," explains Ruth Poole, Managing Director of the Clinical Services Division, Healthcare at Home. "The city centre location, transport links and on site parking, make it extremely convenient for patients and our close proximity to the main hospitals means that a pool of highly trained medical staff are right on our doorstep," said Ruth.

Established in 1994 from a small office above Chipping Sodbury High Street, the company has expanded into a network of 17 regional offices, with a team of more than 700 staff nationwide.

Healthcare at Home works on behalf of the NHS and private medical insurance companies to provide 24-7 post operative care, cancer care and supportive treatments for patients in their own homes. The firm's community nursing team provides specialist care for a wide range of conditions and illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and cancer.

"We have increased our space more than four-fold in the move, which has allowed us to expand our service offering as well as our community nursing team." explains Ruth. "It has also given us the chance to create onsite medical facilities, so patients can choose to have their treatments and consultations here as an alternative to home care."

Andrew Hardwick, director of Bristol-based property agents, Williams Gunter Hardwick, represented Healthcare at Home in the property deal, as well as handling the letting of the company's old premises in Yate.

"Whiteladies Road is a very sought after address, so buildings like this don't come up very often," said Andrew. "In terms of location, Bristol has some of the top medical centres of excellence in the country, so it's natural for a firm like Healthcare at Home to be based here."

The £400,000 refurbishment contract was carried out by Bristol-based design and project management consultants the Aurora Partnership, who specialise in the healthcare sector.

Martyn Garbutt, Director at Aurora, said: "This project was logistically complicated and demanding, in view of the age and Listed status of the building, which required a sympathetic approach throughout.

"The refurbishment and fit out provided a challenging design exercise in meeting Healthcare at Home's brief, to produce a state of the art facility within this 19th century property," he said.

The Bristol Clinic will serve as a base for Healthcare at Home's South West operations, which cover Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, and South Wales.

(Left to Right) Stephen Boulton, Aurora director; Ruth Poole, managing director of the Clinical Services Division, Healthcare at Home; Andrew Hardwick, director of Williams Gunter Hardwick; and Aurora director, Martyn Garbutt

Where do I go now?: » View the latest news items » View the news archive » Subscribe to Weekly Property Newsletter » Submit news