Cramped Holbeach Medical Centre puts out plea for help to expand into Holbeach Parish Council owned site
Staff at a cramped medical centre have appealed to patients to support their expansion bid which is being blocked by the parish council.
Holbeach Medical Centre is now too small for the needs of the practice and has been eyeing up an empty bungalow behind the current Park Road site to provide much needed extra space.
However, this bungalow is owned by Holbeach Parish Council which is also looking to move its offices into the building and has applied for planning permission.
The surgery says it has approached the council which refused to even open up a dialogue to discuss the expansion and sent out text messages to patients earlier this week requesting their help to get the authority to consider their request.
Earlier this year Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) pulled out of the Holbeach Health Hub plan - which would have given the practice more space in the nearby former Limmings warehouse as part of a South Holland District Council scheme - stating that it did not present ‘value for money’ and that ‘additional clinical capacity’ had been identified at the current site.
With more than 900 homes being earmarked on the Holbeach Meadows development with more planned for sites across the town, Holbeach is growing.
Practice Manager Sophie Crofts said: “It’s too cramped. On Wednesday, we have 12 clinicians that what to use a room from our premises but we only have eight rooms.
“We would like to extend the current building. We just want to open up a conversation about it to ask if we could do it.”
Under the current conditions, some staff are forced to work from home as the surgery does not have the space to accommodate them.
And due to stringent NHS rules, the surgery is unable to hire rooms elsewhere in the town.
So being able to use the bungalow site behind the surgery would help to ease some of the pressures faced by staff but the practice says it has been disappointed by the response from the parish council.
Mrs Crofts said: “We discovered that the bungalow directly behind us was empty so I emailed Holbeach Parish Council to see if we could open up a dialogue.
“They wrote back to say they have decided to apply for planning permission for it.”
Earlier this week, the practice sent out text message to its patients requesting help in their bid to get the parish council to talk to them.
The message stated: “We need your help! Holbeach Medical Centre needs more space to accommodate the needs of the growing population. Land behind the surgery has become vacant, and the Parish Council have applied for planning permission to change the bungalow to offices for their use. We have asked them to consider whether this space could instead be used to extend our current building, giving us the extra space we so desperately need. They have declined our request to enter discussions about options for the land. We are asking patients to give their support by contacting the Parish Council to ask that they consider our request. This could be our last chance to obtain the space we need. Please, if you can, help us achieve our vision to improve local services. The Parish Council can be contacted by emailing clerk@holbeachpc.com Thank you for your support!”
This is a bitter blow for the town after Lincolnshire ICB pulled the plug earlier this year on The Holbeach Health Hub - which was going to play a huge role in the regeneration plans for the town.
South Holland District Council leader Nick Worth had been working on the plans with the ICB for two years but he received a letter from the board to state that the project would not be pursued.
The ICB letter stated that they have considered the Health Hub option and another to have a split site model is ‘unlikely to present value for money and be viable projects.
The letter went onto say that it is not ‘financially viable’ for Holbeach Medical Centre to leave its premises and that ‘additional clinical capacity’ has been identified at the current site.
A spokesman from the ICB said: “There are no plans in place currently, just the ambition to expand. The practice are currently exploring location options.
“NHS Lincolnshire ICB reviewed options with South Holland District Council and Holbeach Medical Centre in early 2024 to consider options for GP practice accommodation on the previous Limming’s site, however, after consideration from all parties, this was not considered a viable project.”
The parish council has issued a statement which says the land is in use.
It states: “Due to legislative requirements, the parish council cannot sell property or land directly to a business without following due process. Any sale must be conducted through a sealed bid process. It is important to note that HMC is a private business owned by the partners of the practice, not by the NHS.
“On July 8, 2024, the parish council decided to relocate its offices from Coubro Chambers. Planning permission was subsequently applied for, as the current offices are not suitable for wheelchair access, which is essential for ensuring accessibility for all parishioners. HMC's request for the land was not submitted until October 17, 2024, and was reviewed by the council’s PPES Committee. A response was sent to HMC on November 12, 2024.
“The parish council also highlights that the owners of the medical centre were previously offered alternative premises, which they declined. In 2014, a parcel of land was offered to the NHS under a Section 106 agreement, with plans for a state-of-the-art medical centre for Holbeach. However, this did not materialise.
“Additionally, the parish council raises concerns about the use of NHS platforms to promote what is essentially a private business, questioning whether this constitutes a breach of GDPR regulations.”
South Holland District Council leader Nick Worth said: “The ICB pulled out of the Health Hub because the business case for them didn’t stack up and wasn't financially viable for them or the practice. They were going to invest some funding in Littlebury Medical Centre as this is also bursting at the seems.
“If the bungalow was available that would make some sense for an extension to the existing practice and would be much more affordable for both the practice and the ICB.”
Former council chairman Clive Turner said: “My view as an ex-councillor and chair is that the Parish Council should be working for the community, after all it is funded by the community for the community.
“I believe the request of Park Road Surgery is fully justified, it is obvious that the growing population of the town and villages needs serving better, whether that be by improved community services, in retail, policing, dentistry etc.
“This to me is a ‘no brainer’ however it is a decision which should be taken by the community and the parish council be heavily influenced or told which direction to take.”
