LONG-AWAITED plans for a new medical centre in Knutsford are a step closer.
GPs are ‘excited’ after a NHS boss has agreed to meet them to discuss ‘an agreement in principle’.
Doctors say they desperately need more space to meet the needs of the town’s growing elderly population and influx of new families.
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A new health and wellbeing hub offering a comprehensive range of clinical and community services, plus hospital consultant appointments, they believe could solve the current predicament.
Knutsford Medical Partnership has found a private developer willing to invest £15 million to fund a state-of-the-art health and wellbeing hub.
GPs, midwives, district nurses, physios, dieticians and mental health specialists could share the building with hospital consultants, equipped with all the latest diagnostics.
It follows decades of campaigning as a dire shortage of doctors, coupled with old, inaccessible buildings are now posing a crisis.
A campaign group called HAWK, Health and Wellbeing Knutsford, formed by local residents has been lobbying the NHS to improve the town’s healthcare.
Tatton MP Esther McVey and Knutsford Town Council have also pledged their support.
A spokesman for Knutsford Medical Partnership said: “After working tirelessly over the past 15 years for the patients of Knutsford, GPs are excited to announce that we are moving forward with the fight for a new health and wellbeing centre.
“Knutsford Medical Partnership recently submitted an outlying business case to Graham Urwin, chief executive of Cheshire and Mersey Integrated Care Board.
“He has agreed to meet with the partnership to discuss an agreement in principle on November 21.”
Senior partner Dr Paddy Kearns: “We are delighted to welcome Graham to Knutsford, to show him the current GP surgeries and discuss our vision for modern healthcare in our local community.
“We are hopeful that Graham will be able to give us the green light for the project and that planning applications and formal business cases can be submitted by spring 2025.
“The surgery will provide an update as soon as possible following this meeting but wish to thank our patients, members of HAWK, Town Council and MP for their support in getting this project this far and helping to move it forward.”
A spokesman for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “We’re committed to ensuring the residents of Knutsford and across Cheshire and Merseyside have access to the healthcare services they need.
"In line with this, Cheshire East place continues to work with Knutsford Medical Practice and other local partners to assess suitable options in Knutsford with a view to finding an appropriate solution that meets the healthcare needs of the town’s residents now and in the future.”
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