Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt visited a disused Hove church which doctors are planning to turn into a GP surgery.
Mr Hunt joined Hove GP Tim McMinn and Conservative parliamentary candidate Graham Cox to learn more about the plans for Holy Trinity Church, in Blatchington Road.
Funding has been awarded to Dr McMinn, senior partner at Sackville Medical Centre, in Sackville Road, Hove, to move into the grade II listed church.
Brighton and Hove City Council is due to decide whether to grant planning permission so that the church can be converted into a doctors’ surgery.
Councillor Cox, who currently represents Westbourne ward in Hove, said: “As a former police officer I understand how important it is to deliver quality public services across Hove and Portslade.
“I commend Dr McMinn and the Sackville Medical Centre for expanding into the church and I hope to see this realised in the next year.”
He said that he had campaigned for better access to doctors. And he added that the unique partnership between the church and surgery would be a step in the right direction to a truly seven-day-a-week GP service.
Mr Hunt said praised the “innovative use of an historic and iconic local building which will help secure the future of local GP services”.
He said: “Thanks to a strong economy and the government’s commitment to increasing the NHS budget, funding has been secured for the move but we await planning permission.
“I would encourage the council to do everything it can to speed up the process so residents in Hove can have modern GP services in this excellent location.”
I do wonder why Dr. McMinn went along with the purpose-building of a GP surgery on the site of the Gala Bingo Hall which was to take both the Wish surgery and the Sackville one….but instead now pursues occupation of the church instead.
Nothing to do with the promise of wealth from building a pharmacy in the church grounds is it?
Problem is, doing that takes from Boots pharmacy in George Street and if Boots goes, then the retail offer of the whole street is compromised because Boots is an important anchoring presence there.
The brand new Portland Road surgery is lying empty and advertised if anyone wants to find some GP’s to put in it…where they are needed!
The logistics of converting the inside, which is part of a listed building, is a complexity which has most likely delayed the Planning process after the submission was eventually made.
Wish Park Surgery is pleased to advise that we will be reloctaing to the Portland Road site in June/July.
Please visit our website for any updates and details of how to become a patient.
https://wishpark.gpsurgery.net/