Our city needed, in my view, two new health care centres with increased services to support residents, particularly older members of our community.
One was needed in the City Centre to replace and expand services in three cramped premises around Westgate, and we had the space for a new centre on Quayside by demolishing a former County Council building there.
The County Council and NHS Gloucestershire (now ICB), with my encouragement, worked together for the new health centre which opened in July 2021.
This merged Severnside Medical Practice (formally Gloucester City Health Centre) and Gloucester Health Access Centre and provides care to 18,000 residents including minor operations, GP facilities and staff training, and other services have since opened there including Badham’s Pharmacy.
The second healthcare centre is needed in the south of the city to replace the existing surgery beside the Hucclecote Community Centre on Barnwood Road.
There were false starts, Covid and protracted negotiations over new sites, but eventually it has been agreed that Jordan’s Brook House will be developed into a new health centre to open by the end of 2025.
It is expected the surgery will have 17 clinical rooms alongside additional services like physio.
This is good progress on more and better healthcare in Gloucester, following the new health centres in Kingsway and on Horton Road (Aspen Centre). Together, and also the expansion of the Hadwen Centre, showing real improvements for residents.
