Parish Council Response to Health Centre consultation

This will appear in full in Cranfield Express

Bedfordshire NHS consultation on proposed health centre for Cranfield

Cranfield Parish Council response

INTRODUCTION

The Parish Council’s priority is a first rate health centre delivering first class services to the population of Cranfield. The proposals, as they stand for consultation, represent a major, lost opportunity to create a significant facility. The Beds NHS document indicates, for the most part, a continuation of services with only the potential for a few others. Cranfield needs not only the expansion of current services but also their substantial enlargement.

SERVICES

These could include, for instance, lifestyle clinics dealing with smoking, diet, exercise and cardiac monitoring, mental health, physiotherapy, podiatry, prostate monitoring and urology. There should be space for visiting GPs from other surgeries (if they will come) and visiting consultants and well man/well women clinics. The minor injury clinic should have a walk-in facility.

The Parish Council particularly believes there is a demand for physiotherapy and chiropody in the village. Specialist clinics such as radiology, ENT, audiology, and speech therapy would also enhance local health outcomes.

All of the services listed in the consultation are vitally important, but the Parish Council seeks reassurance that same-day access to a GP, currently provided, will remain. There should also be Saturday morning facilities, even if nurse-led.

NON-HEALTH FACILITIES

The BNHS consultation states “the Cranfield Parish Plan has highlighted a number of community initiatives which could work in collaboration with the new health facility.”

It is not BNHS’s role to deliver on the parish plan. That should be the responsibility of the Parish Council and the people of Cranfield. The Parish Council believes the health centre should maximise health facilities. No one will object to a café or eco-centre but they definitely would if it reduces space for much needed expanded health services. The move from 137 High Street is designed to create more space and it would be ironic to lose it at the new centre to non-health activities. The Parish Council supports the other facilities, such as a public library, but located elsewhere in the village. We believe there will be parking congestion issues if other facilities are introduced on this site and this will exacerbate access to and from the High Street. Bus services are generally poor and this increases the need for adequate parking.

HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES

The consultation adds: “In addition, there could be the opportunity for NHS dental and pharmacist services to be located in the building as well.” Cranfield already has a successful pharmacy and dental facility. To include these in the building will again reduce capacity for new services.

THE BUILDING

The consultation says: “We would look to provide these services in a modern, spacious, building that is fit-for-purpose.” The Parish Council wants good access by all methods of transport and easy parking, wide pathways for mobility users and pushchairs. With limited parking for houses as well as the surgery, people will park half-on and half-off the pavements. Dropped kerbs and bobbled pavement area (indicators of places to cross) for visually disabled are also important.

The building should be well-designed for ease of movement, fit into the landscape, be environmentally friendly and made from high quality materials. Cranfield wants a building it can be proud of.

But the Parish Council shares local dismay at the artist’s impression of the new health centre. While it welcomes an innovative and interesting architectural design, the building must sit appropriately within the proposed setting, as well as being fit for purpose.

The phrase ‘Landmark building’ is of particular concern. Functionality is the key criteria. The Parish Council wants a bespoke building whose lay-out and materials are agreed in detail with the local community – not an off-the-peg design (‘landmark’ or not) already used elsewhere.

USERS’ GROUP

The Parish Council supports the creation of a users group, representative of the community as a whole.

LOCATION

The Parish Council supports Option 2, to build a new health centre on the Central Motors site.

CRANFIELD PARISH COUNCIL

AUGUST 2009