NHS Gloucestershire support for Churchdown Surgery
02.10.2009
NHS Gloucestershire has reaffirmed its commitment to do all it can to support Churchdown Surgery in pursuing replacement premises for the benefit of healthcare staff and patients.
The public pledge of support follows challenging discussions between the Practice and the developer of the Buttermilk Lane site and stalemate over outstanding points of negotiation.
These points of negotiation include agreement on commercial costs.
The current GP premises in St John’s Avenue are in urgent need of replacement and NHS Gloucestershire has already agreed that a new development is a top priority in order to provide an increased range of services more locally and an improved patient environment.
Chief Executive of NHS Gloucestershire, Jan Stubbings said:
“The current practice premises were built in 1965 as one of the first purpose built GP premises in the country. Over 40 years later the nature of primary care has changed considerably and our main concern is to support the GP Practice to develop the range of services for the growing local population.”
“The healthcare staff at Churchdown Surgery provide excellent care and treatment for their patients and the practice itself has shown great determination in their pursuit of new premises over many years.”
“We share this ambition and we believe the NHS has gone the extra mile and has exercised great flexibility over project timescales to date and in negotiations over lease and rental issues.”
“However, the NHS also has a fundamental responsibility to ensure that best value is achieved for every penny and pound spent on local healthcare and agreed costs should be fair, realistic and sustainable.”
“Whatever the final outcome of current discussions between the Practice and the developer we will do everything we can to support the goal of delivering replacement surgery premises on a suitable local site.”
Senior Partner at Churchdown Surgery, Dr Peter Whitehead said:
“We have worked extremely hard over the last year, with the support of the primary care trust and our patients, to push on and make this project a reality.”
“It is universally recognised that we need replacement surgery premises to increase the space available for services and to ensure that patients are treated in modern and comfortable facilities.”
