New surgery gets the go-ahead
A new medical centre is to be build in Admaston after councillors gave the go-ahead for the new building.
The new complex, which will be able to serve up to 20,000 patients, has been approved by the CCG and has a potential grant of £1 million from NHS England.
At Telford and Wrekin Council's planning committee last night (wed) councillors granted planning permission welcoming the scheme.
The new building, to replace Shawbirch Medical Centre, will be built at the corner of Brandon Avenue and Shawbirch Road and will include have a 63 space car park – including five disabled parking spaces.
Dr Paul Davies from the surgery, which has 13,000 patients, said he was delighted that the application had been approved.
Speaking to the planning committee he said that despite twice extending its premises to accommodate its rapidly growing practice list the medical centre was in a desperate situation over space.
"Doctors work from our coffee room when on telephone duty, our receptionists hot desk and patients frequently have to stand in the waiting room at busy times.
"Parking is inadequate and we struggle to meet the needs of our disabled patients. Practice counsellors, health visitors and in the past even our midwives have all been asked to base themselves elsewhere, due to our need to provide more GP space."
With more housing developments proposed the practice list is expected to grow by more than 4,000 in the next few years.
"There is no way this can be managed from our current premises," Dr Davies said.
He said the practice had been trying to get support for a new surgery to serve up to 20,000 patients for more than four years.
"We want this building to become a vibrant, community based, health hub, offering more proactive care in the form of health promotion and educational activity."
Without the new medical centre the practice would be looking at closing its list in two to three years time and its patients having access to fewer services than ever before, he said.
There was also a time limit on the offer of a grant from NHS England with the practice told that it had to have an approved plan by March.
Councillors were all in favour of the new medical centre.
Councillor Peter Scott said: "This is good news. The community needs this and this is something that we should grab with both hands. There is a time limit on the money so we need to get this done."
