Who is asking for these health services to be resited and merged. Is it true that both these services could be threatened with closure in the near future if they do not merge and share resources ie save costs. If this is true then please could we have a statement from the hospital and the health centre that they are proposing/agreeing with their services to be relocated. If people could have the facts and details about the Core Strategy then perhaps people would be happy to make a compromise. How is Swanage able to make an informed decision without knowing all the facts.
Posted by Anonymous to swanageview at 2:15 PM
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In the representations to the core strategy last year was a document from NHS Dorset. This is a quote from that document:
"The enclosed indicative masterplan has been prepared in consultation with Prime, a specialist developer of medical services, who has been awarded the contract to provide Swanage with a new hospital, medical centre and possibly ambulance station. The indicative masterplan shows that the Washpond Lane site is suitable to accommodate a new hospital/medical centre facility together with other complimentary healthcare or community uses”
You can draw your own conclusions, but Prime Plc have a contract to do something. Glad that we were consulted, eh?
It is my understanding that this is being led by the GP's. Apparently they own the Health Centre and money from the sale of the building would presumably be put towards any new medical facilities. Possibly a thought too far, but maybe the Co-op would expand across the current Health Centre site. Swanage has clearly rejected a new larger supermarket but this would just be 'expansion' of an existing one. Very clever. Residents most definitely need to be told what's happening.
Phew, 2 intelligent and informed comments; must be a record!
The GP's do say that the current Health Centre is no longer big enough, and it's my understanding that they'd be quite happy with Herston or up at the Grammar School. With the owner pulling out of one of the Grammar - y'know what I mean - School sites I guess that Herston will become the priority.
I've been 'led to believe' that the Gp's have the freehold on the surgery - I wonder how community spirited they are?
As for centralising the GP's, with a new hospital and the Ambo's, that's obviously cheaper; and as enough people moan about us losing services, isn't this a great opportunity to secure very important things for a very long time?
Haven't they just spent millions revamping the hospital? And anyway why move the GP's surgery away from the Town Centre? It is convenient where it is, its location supports local businesses (there are 3 Pharmacies very close by), all the shops are near, so it is far easier for the bulk of visitors to the Health Centre to continue into town without re-parking cars, getting on another bus etc!
De-centralising the Health centre, in my opinion, seems frankly a bit dumb! I would love to know what others think. But seeing as we know virtually zip about these proposals I agree with the author of the original post - TELL US!
Tomorrow there is a meeting, at the Swanage Town Hall 7pm. It would seem that some of these concerns could be raised and discussed. Problem - it could take longer than the allocated 15 minutes.
Perhaps we could start making a list of questions here.
What we shouldn't allow is councillors to say it's down to the GPs and so nothing they can do about it. They could voice an OPINION and actually represent the people to negotiate a better solution.
Such as?
Herston Fields or Washpond Lane hopefully will not be built on. If anything Swanage Middle School would be an ideal site for a new hospital and medical centre when the Middle Schools get phased out to 2 tiers.
Thou what we have to really think about is how people will abdapt to everything being out of town when its so easy to get into town in the first place. Especailly for the older generation.
Can they just not add a few more floors to the health centre? If this was to be shut down would it also sit there derilict for years to come and be another eye sore to visitors coming into town?
STC will go into the health centre. Prospective users of the town hall should be preparing their business plans. Fossils have been suggested, apparently without ironic intent.
There is no need for the bus depot to be so central, so put the hospital/GPs there instead. Give the buses land in the empty industrial estate, or let them start in Wareham or Poole, and put the fire station somewhere else - on Ballard Down, where all the fires are?
Rowland Hughes says: We keep being told that there's no money for anything - and now this ridiculous waste is proposed by someone with a very large wallet stuffed full of our money. So much more could be gained by spending any money available on improvements and extensions to the current facilities.
The GP's own the practice and are responsible for meeting our health needs. I spose we should believe them when they say that the place is no longer 'fit for purpose'.
Extensions - where?
Extensions into lunchtimes, the evening and weekends would be an easy start
If a statement from the hospital/doctors confirms that it is necessary for these health services to merge and be resited to safeguard their future- how about resiting these buildings to the new Industrial Park. If the reason for this park was intended to achieve more employment then could this be viewed as appropriate land use? Could the ambulance station, recycling centre, fire station, bus depot, and businesses from the bottom of Kings Road, including the council yard be also resited to this land.
The business people at Kings Road are aware of the possible loss and are concerned that they will not be resited and also that their rents could be increased. Their concerns need to be allayed by PDC.
These are business that provide well used services for Swanage, its important that Swanage doesn't lose them.
There is a downside to moving the health centre out of the centre of town but, if it had its own parking/public transport facility, this could be a benefit.
The above would free up some space in the co-op area - the co-op could expand to include a local undercover farmers food market, eg. Purbeck Producers.(the Co-op supports these schemes). This would encourage local food producers to expand and 'small scale' producers to be able to market their produce. With the loss of the Middle School, it may be the the Purbeck Producers will lose their site. Cycling could be encouraged by providing a bike park area. It would be important to keep some green space and plant trees in this area.
Freeing up the Kings Road business/council site would provide some space for affordable housing, it would not impact on the surrounding, residential area. It is PDC owned land so it would not be necessary to build unaffordable housing.
"We keep being told that there's no money for anything"
The deficit hysteria will not go on for ever. By the time these things progress to funding they will be pumping the economy up ready for the next election. What we are seeing is a normal tactic. Cut everything after an election then announce your policies are a great success and start spending again to buy votes. Works every time. The more they cut the more they will need to spend.
"There is a downside to moving the health centre out of the centre of town but, if it had its own parking/public transport facility, this could be a benefit."
How?
The town centre site is going to be needed for:
-improvements and an increase in size for the Coop;
-improved access for the new rail line at the station.
-additional car parking for both.
The W&D bus already runs from the rail station right past the site of the new health centre at Herston. What exactly is the problem with that? People in the western end of Swanage use the health facility, too. The present health centre is far too small.
I know that this is probably a really boring question but can someone please explain why the Health Centre is too small? Is this a current problem or a projected problem based on the proposed development of 250 houses?
I know several people connected to the Health Centre who categorically state the health centre is no longer adequate for the needs of Swanage. The concentration of elderly residents place a real strain on the services it can provide.
Are local residents really in favour of moving medical facilities out to Herston? I am still encountering a great number of residents who have absolutely no idea about the scale of development that is proposed. Surely the GP's and NHS Dorset should be embarking on a consultation process? Two levels of elderly care provision have also been proposed on the Herston site. A huge complex of buildings on a perpetually wet field some of which is classified as Flood Zone 2 & 3. And then there are the 150 houses.....
"I know several people connected to the Health Centre who categorically state the health centre is no longer adequate for the needs of Swanage."
There seem to be a few people "in the know" about the health centre. However, the Town Council, Purbeck District Council Planning Department and the Friends of the Medical Practice are not, unfortunately, among them! Perhaps, as has been suggested in previous posts, the medical centre should come out and lay their cards on the table?
It might be worth reading the wikipedia article about polyclinics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyclinics_in_England
What we shouldn't allow is councillors to say it's down to the GPs and so nothing they can do about it. They could voice an OPINION and actually represent the people to negotiate a better solution.
Perhaps 'the people' would like to attend the Council meetings so that their council can represent them. I'm not on the council but in my view they are doing 'pretty good'!
This is getting tiresome, can we please have a statement from the Health Centre and Hospital.
Should we just ask them. The next person that goes for an appointment at the HC ask what is going on.
Why don't you ask them?
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