New Renal Unit to be built at Whitehouse Health Centre in Milton Keynes

A new core facility offering specialist health services including a Renal Unit, is to be created in Milton Keynes.

It will be located at the Whitehouse Health Centre, with work scheduled to start later this year thanks to funding by Milton Keynes Council.

The council has agreed to provide one-off funding to ensure construction of the Renal Unit, which will save local patients from having to make multiple weekly trips specialists in Oxford and Aylesbury.

The council has already invested millions of pounds in building and kitting out Whitehouse Health Centre, which opened in 2020 to serve the Western Expansion Area of the city.

It currently provides GP services to thousands of residents, with the first and second floors to be occupied by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) and Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MKUH) to deliver specialist services. OUH and MKUH will provide renal services and specialist endoscopies respectively.

A decision to provide additional funding to secure the project is expected to be made next week with Willmott Dixon as the contractor to deliver the scheme.

Councillor Rob Middleton, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “Currently many residents may be spending hours travelling to their medical appointments each week, so it’s great that we’re making solid progress on bringing the Renal Unit to MK.

"Whitehouse Health Centre has already established itself as a crucial facility for the city, and these specialist services will mean that even more local people will be able to access these great services.”

Stony Stratford Labour Ward Councillor Jenny Wilson, added: “Whitehouse and the surrounding areas are some of the fastest-expanding parts of the city, so it’s really important that we have the right infrastructure in place to properly support our residents. I’m glad that we’re appointing a contractor to progress construction of the Renal Unit and improve local people’s lives.”

The one-off funding for the Renal Unit will be repaid over a longer period by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) as part of an enhanced rent agreement. OUH will be responsible for delivering the renal services.