About the Dedham Vale Community Health Centre

Purpose-built as a doctor’s surgery and related health-care facility, Dedham’s 65 square metre ’Dedham Vale Community Health Centre‘,  a high quality unit, constructed, fitted out and landscaped towards the end of 2007, became available for use in the Autumn of 2008.

The prospect of a final closure in 2004 of the doctor’s surgery  in Dedham, after an unbroken period of some eighty years,  prompted a local opposition movement determined to fight the loss of their GP by securing a new site and raising funds for the building of new premises.  Following successful fund-raising, and with the land generously donated by a local farmer, building work was able to go ahead in 2006. The Colchester-based charity, Colne Housing Society, commissioned the award-winning Essex architects Stanley Bragg and Partners in a unique project to construct a new surgery together with three units of affordable and much needed housing.

Situated less that 500 metres from the centre of one of  the most visited villages in Essex, DVCHC is now available for health-care use by G.P’s  as well as associated National Health Service users and Complementary Medicine Practitioners.

The premises  comprise two consulting rooms, a large reception room and spacious separate waiting room, a wc with full disabled facilities, and a secure storage room. The premises have prescribed parking for six vehicles with ample space for more.  DVCHC is fully compliant with all current  accessibility and health and safety legislation.

In February 2007 four of the officers of the Dedham Patient’s Steering Group agreed to become Directors of a newly-formed incorporated company  the ‘Dedham Vale Community Health Association’  and after protracted negotiations signed a long lease with Colne Housing Society for the premises.

The Directors and  new Management Committee are determined to follow the previous course and work towards restoring NHS clinics, alongside those of other health professionals, to the new premises in Dedham, not least for those hundreds of local people who experience extreme difficulty in attending the East Bergholt Practice.

In the meantime the building needs to be used for health care purposes and in early November 2008, the Dedham Vale Network, a group of complementary medicine professionals already well established in nearby East Bergholt, will be offering part-time health, support and therapy choices within their specialisms  from the new premises which are situated in Roman Place, Manningtree Road, Dedham Essex. For the first time residents of Dedham and neighbouring villages will be provided with Shiatsu, Hypnotherapy & HypnoHealing, Reflexology & Indian Head Massage etc by highly specialised professionals from the same building.

There remains limited availability for other health-related users and those seeking further details or any other enquiries are invited to contact John Osborn or Christopher Garnett for more information.