New service launching to help North Somerset residents access support
News for Weston-super-Mare Central Ward from local councillors Mike Bell and Robert Payne : serving you on North Somerset Council and Weston-super-Mare Town Council Learn more
by mikebell on 2 October, 2019
Local NHS leaders have announced a shortlist of site options for a new multi-million pound healthcare facility in Weston-super-Mare.
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group will share further details at North Somerset Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel.
The shortlist of potential sites include two options within the Sovereign Centre, the former Magistrate’s court and demolished police station site and three other privately owned sites in central Weston.
During October the short listed sites will be subjected to detailed evaluation, including the preparation of concept design and cost plans. Stakeholder workshops will be held to review the site options against agreed benefit criteria to decide which option is proposed as the preferred site for the new primary care facility, subject to approval of a business case by the CCG and NHS England.
Dr Martin Jones, local GP and Medical Director of Commissioning and Primary Care at BNSSG CCG, said:
Thousands of people in Weston use GP services every day, and the new facility will be a really exciting development for patients in the area.
Our priorities are to ensure we have high quality and sustainable GP services locally, and that people can get appointments when they need them. The new centre will help us to improve access for the area as a whole. This is part of our Healthy Weston work to strengthen primary care services and join health and care services up much more effectively to better meet patients’ needs.
We will now be working with stakeholders to appraise the shortlisted options against agreed criteria. We are then hoping to announce our preferred option at the end of October, before an outline business case goes to NHS England and NHS Improvement for approval in November.
The CCG successfully secured £3.2 million of national NHS funding to develop a new primary care facility in central Weston, and secured a further £1.4 million of NHS funding to help accelerate the development of the GP facility to provide space for patients at Graham Road Surgery.
Dr Jones added:
This new facility will also secure the future of primary care services for patients at Graham Road Surgery, who will transfer to the new health centre once it is completed.
We will keep people informed throughout the process and look forward to sharing more details soon.
The CCG is also exploring options that would bring other health services into the facility to support patient care.
A decision on the preferred site option will be made at the end of November before an outline business case goes to NHS England and NHS Improvement in December. A full business case will be submitted to NHS England in January. It is hoped this will be approved by June so the premises can be fitted out and depending on the preferred site option, open in Winter 2020.
2 Comments
Sovereign Centre Option for Health Hub
I worry that this will attract more people with very obvious problems e.g Alchohol e.t.c into the Sovereign Centre at the moment this is the one place where some security is in place and prevents them from entering. High Street is all but finish and the Sovereign Centre is probably the only decent shopping centre thats near to the seafront and has parking for visitors.{would the council consider turning the High Street into housing and encourage Shops to streets off the sea front ,especially around the Dolphin Centre. Thanks
I agree with the previous comment that the Sovereign Centre does not seem a suitable site for a medical centre, putting it in the middle of the high street. Surely it would be better sited away from the centre but close to, such as the court building where parking could be provided behind it. It is also close to many bus routes.