Law firm helps on health services boost | 17 May 10

LAW firm Ward Hadaway is helping to bring almost £9m worth of healthcare and community facilities to South Yorkshire.

The firm, which has offices in Leeds and Newcastle, provided legal support advice to NHS Rotherham (Rotherham PCT) on two developments in Rotherham – the Rawmarsh Joint Service Centre and the Kimberworth Integrated Children’s Services Centre.

Experts from Ward Hadaway’s specialist public sector property team are supporting NHS Rotherham on the legal aspects of the developments.

This has included preparing and agreeing documentation to deliver the lease agreement between Rotherham Borough Council and NHS Rotherham and associated legal documents to define the funding arrangements.

The Rawmarsh Centre will provide clinical and office space for NHS Rotherham staff and other healthcare professionals as well as a pharmacy.

In addition, there will be a library, a one-stop shop for Rotherham Council services and changing rooms for the adjacent nearby sports facilities.

Located on Barbers Avenue in the Rawmarsh area of the town, the centre is due to be completed by autumn 2011.

The Kimberworth Centre is a campus focused on children’s services and will provide clinical and office space for NHS, council and voluntary sector children and young people’s services and third sector professionals.

The centre will be located in a converted school on Kimberworth Road in Rotherham and is set to be completed by January next year.

Both Rawmarsh and Kimberworth are joint service centres for NHS Rotherham and Rotherham Borough Council.

The council will procure the buildings and the PCT will subsequently take a lease of the completed buildings.

The council will build the new Rawmarsh scheme and project-manage the refurbishment of Kimberworth, a former comprehensive school. NHS Rotherham will subsequently occupy both facilities under lease agreements.

Experts from Ward Hadaway’s specialist public sector property team are advising NHS Rotherham on the legal aspects of the developments.

This has included drafting bespoke documentation to deal with the transfer of grant monies from NHS Rotherham council to the Council PCT.

Simon Priestley, partner and head of the public sector property team, said: “We are really pleased to have been able to play a part in bringing these centres to life.”

Duncan Smales, Programme Lead – Estates at NHS Rotherham, said: “The developments at Rawmarsh and Kimberworth represent an excellent way for NHS Rotherham and Rotherham Borough Council to combine their interests and the important services which they provide to the community.

“They also mean that families will be able to access a whole range of facilities and services from one place.”

Ward Hadaway has previously advised NHS Rotherham on two other combined services centres in the town.

Elsewhere in South Yorkshire, Ward Hadaway has advised NHS Doncaster on more than £50m worth of projects under the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) programme.

These projects have included four ‘super surgeries’ and five health centres in Doncaster.

Ward Hadaway acts for a number of other primary care trusts and NHS health trusts in the Yorkshire region, including advising NHS Sheffield on its current LIFT project.

The firm also provides legal advice to Nottinghamshire County PCT and to NHS North of Tyne on their LIFT programmes.

In total, Ward Hadaway is advising on more than £2bn worth of public/private capital projects.

* Find out more about our Public Sector services and specialist Property Healthcare practice.