NHS opens 'plush' new riverside contact centre in Peterborough

The King’s representative for Cambridgeshire has opened a new NHS 111 contact centre in Peterborough.

Staff from healthcare provider HUC say they are “thrilled” to have relocated their city centre to “plush new premises” on the banks of the River Nene.

To celebrate the move from their former site in Thorpe Road, the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence OBE CStJ QPM, and the Mayor of Peterborough, Coun Marco Cereste, were guests of honour at an official opening ceremony on July 10.

The King’s representative in the county, Mrs Spence, cut a ribbon and unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion, joined by Coun Cereste, HUC staff, representatives of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System, health and social care champions Healthwatch, and landlords Peterborough City Council.

“This is just the beginning in this new contact centre, from where further milestones will be etched,” said Mrs Spence, a former chair of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, before unveiling the plaque.

“I’m sure NHS 111 services will continue to evolve, offering more sophisticated methods of assessment and integration, almost certainly involving AI, into local NHS services.

“The future of healthcare is here in this new contact centre, and it’s accessible to all. So, let’s give a huge round of applause to the incredible team behind NHS 111 here – your dedication is vital in making this service an indispensable part of our healthcare system.”

Mrs Spence was echoing the sentiments of HUC’s chief executive officer David Archer who commented: “It’s credit to everyone’s dedication and hard work that what was a bare shell just a few months ago has been transformed into a fully functioning NHS 111 contact centre, which is going to take around a million calls a year.“It’s about an investment for the future – an investment in our staff and providing them with a fantastic place in which to work, thrive, and deliver HUC’s services moving forward.”.

The city council’s service director for commercial, property and asset management Simon Lewis added: “We’d like to welcome HUC to Sand Martin House and hope that their staff enjoy working in arguably the city centre’s best office location, overlooking the River Nene.”

A not-for-profit organisation, HUC employs more than 1,000 staff and clinicians in the East of England and is one of Peterborough’s biggest employers.

It operates urgent and primary care services across the East and South West of England, with its core business being the provision of NHS 111 and urgent care services for those who are feeling unwell and can’t self-treat at home, see their GP, or visit a pharmacy.

HUC is an NHS service provider that specialises in both Primary Care Services and Integrated Urgent Care. They are now hosting a recruitment open event for prospective employees at Sand Martin House this Friday, July 19, between 10am and 1pm. The organisation has vacancies for NHS 111 call handlers and in a variety of other clinical and non-clinical roles. For more details, visit the HUC website.