A councillor has called for assurances that promises will not be broken over a new health centre in Burntwood.
Delays have led Cllr Sue Woodward to join other members of the health scrutiny committee at Lichfield District Council to discuss the situation with senior NHS managers.
The appointment of a contractor was said to have been delayed in July, but it seems the scheme has now been put back even further.
“Although the health centre scheme had been signed off locally before the cut-off date for NHS reorganisation – March 31 – it seems that it was not signed off in time by the board of the county-wide cluster of Staffordshire Primary Care Trusts,” Cllr Woodward said.
“This means that it now has to go back into a long national queue with NHS England to be reassessed yet again. It is one of around 750 schemes nationally, 28 in Staffordshire and Shropshire. We don’t yet know what the assessment process will involve or, frankly, what our chances are.”
The delays are a further blow for Burntwood residents – and Cllr Woodward believes they deserve better.
She added: “For well over 10 years now, new health centre provision has been discussed, consulted upon and agreed and yet we are having to wait yet again.
“It’s been proven time and again that Burntwood is an area which needs better facilities because we have significant local health needs.
“I just hope that previous promises made to the local community will be honoured and that NHS England will recognise that we desperately need better health service provision here – but who knows?”
