£8m investment in GP surgeries

2:33pm Tuesday 18th March 2008

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ANOTHER new health centre will be built in Blackburn, with millions set to be invested in GP surgeries over the year.

Work on a town centre "health hub" to replace the ageing Montague Centre is set to begin off Barbara Castle Way later this year.

But a further £8million is planned for local surgeries under Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust's latest plans.

Health bosses are also planning a new, smaller health centre in the Infirmary area, where more than 400 homes will be built in the next five years.

The building, in Moseley Street, is scheduled to go up within the next year, while extensions at the Roman Road health centre and Little Harwood Health Centre could also be added this year.

Bosses also plan to demolish and rebuild the Bentham Road clinic, while the 40-year-old Larkhill Centre is scheduled to be redeveloped in 2010/11.

The Government plans for all health centres to be less than 15 years old by the end of its programme of extra investment for clinics. Most of Blackburn's largest centres were built in the late 1960s, and are in need of major improvements.

Members of the PCT board backed the estates strategy at their meeting on Monday, and are hoping their plans will tie in with other community investment.

Money for the scheme will come from the Government through NHS North West, the strategic health authority, but the board will also raise cash through the sale of the Montague Centre and other disused land, as well as grants from the Building Schools for the Future programme and the government's Equitable Access to Primary Health Care scheme.

Financial director Paul Hinnigan said: "These opportunities don't come along every year, and we have got to build mutually beneficial developments that allow us to optimise our resources and work for the whole population."