Plans moving forward for new Weston-super-Mare GP practice

The new practice will be built and owned by North Somerset Council

A £5.5m GP practice to serve 6,500 new homes planned outside Weston-super-Mare could open by next December. 

The plans were agreed by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG) on Tuesday.

Proposals will now go to NHS England and Improvement for final approval. 

The surgery will serve 16,000 patients - mainly families moving to Parklands Village and 1,700 patients at Locking Village branch, which may close. 

Dr Martin Jones, a local GP and the CCG's medical director, said: "This is great news and an exciting development for people in Weston-super-Mare.

"The town has a growing population, so strengthening GP services and ensuring everyone has access to high quality primary care is a high priority for the NHS locally, and a significant part of our Healthy Weston programme of work.

"The new practice will provide a range of health and care services in a first-class facility."

The CCG and council are looking to include other healthcare services within the new two-storey practice, which will provide GP services for between 12,000 and 16,000 patients.    

The new practice will be built and owned by North Somerset Council and is being funded with £1.7m in developer contributions and £3.7m from an NHS estates fund.

The CCG hopes construction can begin in January 2021 with the surgery opened in December 2021, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

A consultation is currently underway on the potential closure of the Locking Village branch surgery. 

North Somerset CCG's Colin Bradbury said the purpose-built new practice would offer longer hours and a more comprehensive range of services than the village surgery.