Progress on £5m health centre to replace 'leaking' surgery

GPs say the existing surgery in Minchinhampton is "bursting at the seams"

GPs working out of a "cramped" and "leaking" building say a new £5m health centre will help them provide better care.

Minchinhampton Surgery, in Gloucestershire, is more than 50-years-old and "bursting at the seams" say doctors, who have spent more than a decade looking for a site to replace it.

Work is nearly complete on a combined doctors and dental practice off Cirencester Road, which will replace the existing surgery and cater for more than 8,000 patients.

Work is nearly complete on the new Minchinhampton Surgery on Cirencester Road

"It will be wonderful to not have to get the buckets out when the rain starts, we'll have a building that is fit for purpose, that is spacious and airy and all the rooms are going to be adequate," said Dr Susie Weir, a senior partner at the surgery.

"We'll have nice fresh treatment rooms where we can provide much better services because it's hygienic and complies with all the standards," she continued.

The existing surgery site on Bell Lane has limited parking and accessibility is an issue, Dr Freddie Walker added.

"The way the building came about with various bits tagged on over the years, if you've got a 10 minute appointment and trying to get someone who is not so quick on their feet, or in a wheelchair up to my room then you've sort of used almost half your appointment on the mobility aspect of it," he said.

Doctors say they do not have enough space to look after patients properly

Alan Temple, a retired engineer, has been coming to the surgery for more than 30 years.

"It's not big enough, parking is a problem up here," he said.

"If you're tight on time and then you're looking for somewhere to park, I hate it, I hate being late and sometimes it happens.

"I know we're going up the road and we're all looking forward to that."

Alan Temple is excited for the new site to open

Plans for the new surgery were approved in 2022 and have been 14 years in the making, Dr Weir added.

"It has been very time consuming but it's an exciting project to be working on," she said.

Confident Dental and Implant Clinic, a private dental clinic based in Stroud, is moving into the new site and will be up and running by the summer.

"We already have two clinics in doctors surgeries in Gloucestershire, and what we find is the patients their one stop shop is really helpful," said Angela Hewitt de Gandy, patient care manager for the clinic.

"If they're there with doctors or with us and need other services, it's all here for them."