Plymouth councillors unite in health hub plea

"We need to proceed to building the West End health hub"

Leading councillors in Plymouth are urging NHS to stop dragging its feet over the West End health hub.

The proposed health centre at Colin Campbell Court in the city centre stalled last year after the government confirmed it was pulling £41 million of funding.

More than £2 million had already been spent preparing for the centre by demolishing buildings and moving businesses. 

But council leader Richard Bingley and leader of the opposition Tudor Evans have now written a joint letter to the chair of Devon’s Integrated Care System, Sarah Wollaston, urging them to complete the project before the fixed price from the contractor expires.

Mr Bingley, who is Conservative councillor for Southway, said: “Our city of Plymouth has massive health service delivery issues and we need to proceed to building the West End health hub.

“We know finances are tight but have looked at the figures and are prepared to take out a loan to pay for the build, if NHS Devon can pay it back.

“We are in this strange situation where the council has done everything it possibly can to make this project happen. 

“The full business case has been approved, it’s got full planning permission, we’ve cleared the site and have secured five dentist chairs with confirmed funding from NHS England.

“We fully understand the need for NHS Devon to balance its books but we firmly believe that a failure to fund this now is counterintuitive – saving pennies and wasting pounds.

“Health prevention and early intervention has to be at the heart of tackling the systemic problems in the NHS and the health hub is critical to turning this around.”

Labour councillor for Ham, Tudor Evans added: “We know of areas in Devon where the need is less, yet funding is available to them – is NHS Devon favouring those who know how to use the system and leaving behind those who don’t or won’t?

“There are people of Plymouth who cannot get a GP appointment, who cannot get an NHS dentist and who are being put at unnecessary risk due to the lack of patient care and prevention services.

“Over to you NHS Devon. We know there are demands across the region – but this Devon’s biggest city, it is home to the largest hospital which is stretched beyond belief with no relief in sight.

“There’s too much dithering, drift and delay, we are on a fixed build price from the contractor – but there is a deadline. We have an answer right here, ready to go.”

There have been hopes the West End health and wellbeing hub would take some pressure of Derriford Hospital and help address some of Plymouth’s long standing health inequalities.

Plymouth’s public health grant allocation is 74th out of 152 areas, despite being ranked 52nd most deprived.