Plymouth Argyle open up grandstand to local NHS community services

A new arrangement will come into place from Monday 30 March which will see two community health services delivered at Home Park Stadium, the home of Plymouth Argyle Football Club.

Plymouth Argyle generously offered use of their conference room, which is currently unused following the suspension of the English Football League, to the local NHS to be transformed into a clinical space.

As part of the ongoing COVID-19 response, Community Phlebotomy (for over 16s) and Community Antenatal clinics are the first services which will be relocated to the newly redeveloped main grandstand at Home Park.

A team of clinicians and technical support staff have been involved in the project to transform the conference room into a clinical environment which is equipped to deliver safe, effective services and adheres to the necessary social distancing requirements.

Local GP and Associate Medical Director for Primary Care at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Dr Jonathan Cope said: “The move to temporarily relocate lower risk, mobile services away from Derriford Hospital and GP practices is intended to allow for the continuation of important clinical interactions, without creating additional footfall to the traditional sites.

“Planning and delivering this in little over a week is a breath-taking achievement. I’d like to extend a big thank you to Plymouth Argyle for their generosity and support in bringing this concept to reality. The task of converting the grandstand into a temporary clinic has been a team effort and testament to the strong partnership working between the club and the local NHS.”

Plymouth Argyle’s CEO Andrew Parkinson said: “In line with our Vision and Values, the Argyle community feels duty-bound to support local services in this time of need. With staff currently working from home and no football in the immediate future, offering up Home Park for the use of the NHS is, we feel, our civic duty.

“We would like to place on record our gratitude and respect to front-line healthcare workers who continue to go above and beyond to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

The initial set of patients will begin to be contacted about attending the new clinic in the next few days. Home Park is centrally located in the heart of Plymouth with plenty of free parking at the adjacent Milehouse Park and Ride. Access to the building is via the main reception which is between Home Park grandstand and the rear of the Life Centre.