MP and councillors ask for meeting in bid to prevent closure of Peterborough medical centre
Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes, along with local councillors, has requested a meeting with the partners that run Werrington Health Centre after it was announced that the centre is set to close.
The Partners of BMC Paston group have announced their intention to close the centre in early March 2025 and transfer all patients across to Werrington Surgery on Church Street.
Among the stated reasons for this was the lack of room for expansion of the health centre as well as any planned development to update the premises.
Mr Pakes has stepped in to ask for a meeting to express his concerns both for patients as well as the future of the Werrington Centre.
He said: “I was concerned to hear of plans to close Werrington Health Centre and to consolidate services at the Church Street Practice.
“This news is already causing concern amongst residents rightly worried about health provision in the area and state of the Werrington Centre itself. I have also met with local councillors in Werrington who share these concerns.
“We hoped the new partnership arrangements announced in October 2023 would expand NHS provision in Werrington rather than lead to the closure of Skaters Way. The announcement and plans raise significant questions for both councillors and myself.
“I also note that your decision appears to be linked to the lack of ‘any planned development or investment by the landlord’ and your lack of influence in the management of the Werrington Centre.
“The Werrington Centre has become run-down with no plan for its future and the regeneration of the area. The closure of the health centre will add to this decline.
“I request an urgent meeting with the practice partners, councillors and myself so that we can discuss these issues in more detail. It is vital that any plans retain patient and resident confidence. Ensuring clear information and options are available is part of that.”
Cllr John Fox added: “We are obviously concerned about this, we don’t want the centre to lose anything else. We want to see it added to not lose more; we’ve already lost the pub and post office.”
The application to close the health centre will be submitted to the NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board by the end of November.
A statement from the group said: “Since forming a new partnership in October 2023, the GP partners have considered how we can best provide you with the General Practice services you need.
"As a result of this work, we have made the decision to seek to consolidate the Werrington Health Centre and Werrington Surgery sites. This will allow us to merge our patient list and enable patients currently with Werrington Health Centre, Skaters Way, to be seen at Werrington Surgery, Church Street.
"The Skaters Way site has no room for expansion, and we are not aware of any planned development or investment by the landlord to update the premises. Unfortunately, we are unable to influence this decision. Our Church Street Practice is a new, purpose-built facility with empty consulting rooms waiting to be used.
"This will allow us to offer a wider number of services and improve access to appointments. Our Practice at Church Street in Werrington also has excellent parking and disabled access. BMC Paston group can confirm that this will not have a detrimental effect on clinical capacity. It is our expectation that it may increase capacity.”