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Weston town centre gets £3million for health centre

by mikebell on 13 December, 2018

Fantastic news! It’s been confirmed this week that our local NHS has been awarded £3.2 million towards a new health facility and GP practice in Weston town centre.

Councillor Mike Bell said: “I’ve been campaigning for this for several years, with members of the Heart of Weston community, Healthwatch and many others. Town centre health services have been under real pressure and have steadily closed, so it is high time things moved in the other direction.

“I’m pressing health bosses now for quick action in the new year to make this happen, with an accessible and appropriate new facility for the town centre community. I’ll share more details of the plans when I have them.

“But let’s just take a moment to say YESSSSS!”

   2 Comments

2 Responses

  1. John Cadwallader says:

    Good news, guys. But the public must be confused as we read everyday the merger of surgeries – and as late as yesterday – the possibility of our A&E facing full closure. So, what can Weston expect from this money? Maybe the clues are in the Healthy Weston document as to the shape of what’s coming?
    ‘Changes we can implement imminently but require further work; for example, developing a business case to establish a mental health crisis and recovery centre in the centre of Weston,’

    • mikebell says:

      Hi John – I agree it can be a bit confusing. This new funding is specifically for capital spend on buildings for primary care in Weston town centre, so could take the form of a new build GP practice/health centre or reconfiguring an existing building. This will have implications for the Clarence Park/Graham Road surgeries, but the objective is to deliver new, more accessible and fit-for-purpose space for primary care – so that’s essentially GPs and pharmacy services. The future of A&E and the proposed ‘crisis cafe/mental health’ facility under Healthy Weston are both separate, though clearly the latter could possibly be co-located. We should get more information on all fronts in the new year.

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