PaulRogan

STATEMENT REGARDING BRIGHOUSE AND RASTRICK HEALTH CENTRES

Calderdale Primary Care Trust will be writing to all patients of the GP practices at Church Lane, Rydings Hall and Rastrick Health Centre asking their views about the planned new health centre in Brighouse.

Patients in Rastrick will also be asked if they wish to keep their GP practice in Rastrick.

Rob Webster, Chief Executive of Calderdale Primary Care Trust said: "The PCT has been working with all three GP practices to develop a new health centre in Brighouse. The centre could provide space for up to three general practices. It would also allow us to provide services normally based at the hospital, such as thousands of outpatient procedures and tests. "We would hope to include Local Authority services to deliver joined up services from one central location, and we are currently in discussion with them about this.."However, the final plans for the centre will not be produced until we have listened to the views of patients.

"All three practices had felt a move to a single site would provide improvements for patients. Following recent developments, the doctors at the Rastrick Health Centre have now suggested they would like to withdraw their request to move to a new centre. We have taken account of this in the questions we are asking in the letter. There is clearly now an option to retain a general practice within Rastrick with additional services in Brighouse. "We want to make sure that all patients in both Rastrick and Brighouse have an opportunity to comment on the proposals and so we are writing to people individually."  Patients should receive a letter in the next few days.