PPG Vice chair seeks council backing

The Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, in December authorised funding of £3.216 million to “deliver relocation of an existing practice” in Central Weston. 

Mr Rice said if this is the case there was little need to proceed with a merger of Clarence Park and Graham Road surgeries.

There are plans for a new surgery for the ward but Mr Rice is concerned that the process could take too long.

A consultation recently took place on the options of how to run GP services in Central Weston in the future.

Healthwatch North Somerset is monitoring developments to ensure patients’ needs are met.

The options were whittled down to those that were financially feasible: merging the two practices/patients’ lists and operating all services from Graham Road – an exit from Clarence Park or “CLAREEXIT.”

A softer option was to merge the practices/patient’s lists and operate Clarence Park as a branch site using Advanced Nurse Practitioners – or a “soft CLAREEXIT.”

Mr Rice said that there had been anger when the soft CLAREEXIT option had very recently been withdrawn. He told the councillors. “Suddenly the PPG was flabbergasted and incensed at this seemingly last moment change of heart.”

He told the meeting he was considering calling for a Judicial Review, but the £70,000 cost was not financially viable, which meant an alternative route of asking the Secretary of State to step in, stop the closure of Clarence Park and push for the new health centre. 

He asked for the backing of North Somerset Council in writing to the Secretary of State to add weight to the case.