Plymouth councillors push for health hub in city ward

Plymouth councillors said the hub would relieve pressures on Derriford Hospital

Plymouth councillors are pushing the region's NHS body to build a health hub in one of the South West's "most deprived wards".

The £41.5m West End Health Hub in Stonehouse, aimed at boosting GP and dental care, had planning permission, Plymouth City Council said.

But it claimed NHS Devon was "dithering" on the build.

NHS Devon said it was "disappointed" national funding had not been found and was "exploring ways forward".

The NHS in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay was already forecast to overspend by nearly £50m this year, it said.

But Conservative council leader Richard Bingley said the hub, known as the Cavell Centre, was critical to tackling "systemic problems" in the NHS.

Mr Bingley and Tudor Evans, Labour group leader, have now written a joint letter to the chair of Devon's Integrated Care System (ICS).

Emergency departments have been under a lot of pressure

It urges Sarah Wollaston to "get on" with the build, which they claim would be a "game-changer for the health and wellbeing of Plymouth residents".

The facility was described by the council as "key" to address Plymouth's long-standing health inequalities, pressurised primary care system and the pressure on Derriford Hospital.

It said Stonehouse was "one of the most deprived wards in the South West", with a life expectancy 7.5 years lower than the national average.

Emergency department attendances were 18% higher than the Plymouth average, it said.

'Drift and delay'

Mr Evans said: "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."

"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."

He said the hub was "critical" to tackling "systemic problems in the NHS".

He added: "There's too much dithering, drift and delay. We are on a fixed build price from the contractor - but there is a deadline."

A spokesperson for NHS Devon said: "We have always been clear that the Cavell Centre would only go ahead if it got funding from a national source and the council was fully aware of this when it made decisions to spend money on the project."

Pointing to a £50m overspend this year for the region's NHS, they said next year would likely be "even more challenging".

"We, too, are disappointed that national funding has not been found but we continue to explore ways forward with Plymouth City Council," they added.