WORK on a long-delayed new doctors’ surgery in Brownsover has finally started.
A turf-cutting ceremony was held on Friday (February 16) to mark the beginning of building work on the £2.3million health centre and community facility in Bow Fell.
The development, comprising a 624 sq m GP surgery, a 100 sq m community facility, parking and landscaping, is due to be complete by the end of this year – two and a half years behind the original schedule.
Over 10,000 Brownsover residents have been without their local surgery since Brownsover Medical Practice closed in March 2015, and have had to travel over a mile for a GP appointment.
NHS England initially promised to open the new surgery in the summer of 2016, before revising the date to early 2018, then to summer 2018, before settling on the current schedule.
Rugby MP Mark Pawsey said: “Brownsover residents have been incredibly patient and, although it has taken longer than we all would have wanted, I am delighted to see things now progressing.
“I am confident everything will move quickly and local residents will soon be able to enjoy the replacement surgery and community facility.
“The Brownsover Patients Action Group (BPAG) deserve an enormous amount of credit for all the work they have done to get us to this point. I will continue to work closely with them and the NHS to ensure this project is delivered on time.”
BPAG chair Jake Stevenson said: “We are really pleased to see the start of the end of our campaign. We are grateful for all the support we’ve received from Mark Pawsey and the media over the past three years.
“We look forward to the doors opening for patients for the first time later this year.”
Jenni Northcote, chief officer for primary care and strategy for Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said it was an important milestone and an achievement for Brownsover residents.
She said: “We are delighted to see the start of the construction work happening on site, which we appreciate has been long awaited by local residents. We are very much looking forward to involving local patients as we continue with this exciting project.”
The surgery will include five consulting rooms, two treatment rooms, two group rooms, an interview room and a reception and waiting area.
Although linked to the surgery building, the community facility will be owned and run independently by Rugby Borough Council.
Council corporate resources spokeswoman Carolyn Robbins said: “The project promises to deliver a real boost for Brownsover when it’s completed at the end of the year.”
The CCG has started the process to secure a provider to deliver GP services from the building once it opens, and will invite the public to participate in the process.
