Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Trowbridge surgery plans is bad news for local sports clubs.
A multitude of health facilities might be included in the new centre such as family doctor (GP) services, a pharmacy (as if there aren't enough of them in Trowbridge already), community midwifery services (including antenatal and postnatal services and health visitors), a Minor Injury Unit, and 'outpatient services' (whatever they might be).

It is intended that the Trowbridge Primary Care Centre will be developed on land adjacent to Trowbridge Community Hospital. The PCT say that although this land is leased to Trowbridge Cricket Club, this has always been on the basis that if the land were needed for health purposes, it would be taken back.

However, this leaves the cricket club, and the footballers who also use the ground, with nowhere to go! The PCT say "Not our problem" (in their usual 'friendly' way).

With the amount of brownfield land available in Trowbridge the choice of this site seems crass and insensitive, but that seems to be the overall attitude of this un-elected 'public' body - I'm sure we can all remember how much notice they took when the folly of closing the Trowbridge maternity unit was pointed out to them. Er, none at all, so far as I recall.

The financing of the scheme is also interesting. I believe that a conglomerate of local GPs will build and fund the centre, the PCT then leases it from them and pays extra money for additional services provided from the site. If this is correct, then the centre will become 'a nice little earner' for impoverished GPs struggling to get by on the £100k (ish) a year they get from the NHS.

Where will the money that the PCT get when they sell the hospital site (presumably for housing) go? It doesn't look as though it will be invested in Trowbridge. We will be swoping a PCT owned building for an 'open ended' lease commitment that might save money in the short term but will be a long term drain on PCT funds.