Little lever - The Health Centre

I must first of all make one thing clear.

The provision of GP service and other local health facilities is the responsibility of the local Primary Care Trust - not Bolton Council.

This Quango, with it's share of the squillions supposedly pumped into the NHS in recent years, planned to build 9 new super duper Health Centres across the Borough.

Three have been built and the remaining six were due to be completed by 2012.

The order in which they were to be built was based on 'health deprivation' in the various areas.

According to them, on this basis Little Lever was to be the last.

Our problem was that the existing building was way past it's sell by date with leaking roof, peeling paint, mould and an antiquated heating system controlled from - wait for it - Bolton Hospital.

On this basis, Little Lever should have been the first to be built.

Then what happens ? - the PCT runs out of money.

This means that the build is rescheduled so that we'll be lucky if we see it before 2015.

In the mean time £200,000 has been spent on a new roof and some interior and exterior decoration.

My comments which criticised this move were based on a suspicion that having done the above, the PCT would then say that the building is good for another twenty years.

I organised and chaired a Public Meeting last November where residents brought up many issues which have still to be resolved - appointments, patients from outside the area clogging up the system etc.

I feel able to say that as a result of my actions, Little Lever Health Centre has now been promoted to 4th position - still not good enough.

My view is that there must be a will and a way for Bolton Council to put pressure on the PCT to stop treating us like second class citizens because they judge that, health wise, we are better off than other areas.

This is what I intend to pester about after the Election.

Sean

Any comments - electseanhornby@hotmail.co.uk



Promoted by Paul Richardson 24 Ripon Close Little Lever BL3 1EQ on behalf of Sean Colin Hornby 35 Williams St Little Lever BL3 1LQ.