Ascot medical centre plans revised for Lynwood health hub

Proposals for the Ben at Lynwood health hub in Sunningdale were first mapped out in May 2017, but bosses are set to re-submit revised plans later this month.

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This comes after planning experts and neighbours raised concerns about building on green belt land, eroding the gap between Sunninghill and Sunningdale, the size of the building and more.

New designs show plans to relocate the car park to keep undeveloped land between settlements, as well as the building having two floors and removing its pharmacy to reduce its footprint.

Further changes were presented to neighbours at a community drop-in session last week.

Jackie Bailey, 75 years old from Ascot, has lived nearby since the age of six and is a patient at Kings Corner surgery.

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She welcomed the plans, telling NHS bosses: “I fully support the need for a new health centre as it’s for the local community.”

“It’s something I feel very strongly about and it would be an utter disgrace if we wouldn’t have it done.”

East Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (EBCCG) chiefs hope plans will be given the go-ahead by January 2020, with building work set to follow in May 2020.

Doctors and healthcare professionals are scheduled to move into the new health hub by July 2021.

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A new community health facility has been designed because “the primary care service in Ascot is not sustainable”, according to EBCCG health boss Alex Tilley.

The population of people aged 85 years old and over is set to increase by 150 per cent in the next 20 years, meaning an extra 6,000 patients in this age group.

Lynwood Village is situated between Kings Corner Surgery and Magnolia House Surgery, but more than 20 per cent of GPs in Ascot are aged over 55 and are due to retire in the next ten years.

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Ms Tilley added: “As it currently stands, Magnolia House and Kings Corner are unable to expand to cope with current capacity and demand, with the majority of their consultation and treatment rooms located on the first floor with no lift facility for those in need.

“Therefore, the plan to build the new site would provide high-quality accommodation for both these practices, with improved access for patients who are frail or who have disabilities, with co-ordinated care between health and social care.

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“It would also enable access to a wider range of services in the community and a more collaborative way of delivering primary care, with the potential to offer services for urgent care and on-the-day primary care, as well as additional healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists, mental health teams and voluntary sector.”