Patients in Minchinhampton are one step closer to having a brand new £5.5m health centre development in the town following approval of the planning application by the local authority on 29 March 2022.

Subject to agreement of revised costings in the summer, the new health centre will be built at Vosper Field on Cirencester Road, just over half a mile away from the current surgery

The premises will be large enough to provide services to around 9,000 patients, enabling the practice to meet ever-increasing demands from the growing local population and extend the range of services it can provide. There will also be 53 car parking spaces on the site.

The additional consulting and treatment rooms in the new building will allow a wider range of healthcare professionals to support patients, including pharmacists, physiotherapists, social prescribers, GP assistants and mental health practitioners.

They will also provide better access to minor operations and a range of clinics, such as respiratory, counselling, midwifery, dementia and sexual health clinics.

Dr Tristan Cooper, GP Partner at Minchinhampton Surgery, said:

“We outgrew our current building some years ago, so we are delighted that our plans for a new health centre are moving forward.

We engaged specialist medical architects who have designed a high-quality building that fits into its surroundings. Landscaping will be sympathetic, and steps will be taken to preserve and enhance biodiversity.

Patients will have ample parking, with electric charge points and cycle storage. In addition, we will provide bus stops and pavements to promote walking and public transport.

In short, the new surgery will offer state of the art facilities for patients and staff alike.”

The practice is also looking forward to being able to offer training and educational updates to staff.

Director of Primary Care at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Helen Goodey said:

“We recognised some time ago that the practice needed to move to more modern premises, so we are really pleased things are moving forward.

The new health centre will be spacious and environmentally friendly with good access for people with disabilities, facilities for children and families, areas for privacy and improved levels of security.

It will allow the practice to extend the range of services it can offer to patients and ensure it provides high quality services for years to come.”

This development is part of wider plans to improve GP premises across the county.