Marlborough’s Medical Practice has discounted a report that it would be unable to cope with a host of new patients if planning permission is given for a 64-bed dementia care home and 28 assisted living units project.
In fact, it would be duty bound to provide medical services for any new developments in the town, Councillor Richard Allen told the Town Council’s planning committee last night (Monday).
A week ago Councillor Noel Barrett-Morton told the committee that he understood the Medical Practice did not have the resources to care for an influx of elderly patients in the proposed care home development of Wiltshire Council’s old depot on the Salisbury Road.
But Councillor Allen revealed he had been in contact with the Figgins Lane medical practice – it is the oldest of its kind in the country — when the planning committee met again last night.
“If there is an increase in the number of patients in the area then they are duty bound to respond to that by increasing their numbers or, if they can’t cope, then allowing another surgery to be opened in the town,” he said.
“I have also done some homework around the Medical Practice as a whole as there are various stories about how long people have to wait for an appointment.
“The reality is that the number of patients they have per GP in this town holds up very well to scrutiny against the rest of the country. The second thing to note is that if there were to be a second GP practice in this town the risk is that we wouldn’t have centralised services which they are trying grow at the moment.
“Again, it is not always desirable to have fragmentation. So they would welcome any opportunity to be approached by any future development of any sort to discuss how they can actually plan the services.”
And he added: “If people are experiencing difficulties in getting an appointment then they would happily discuss perhaps how they should go about making an appointment.
“I know from my personal experience of my own family, which has depended upon the surgery at different times, that you can actually get an appointment within an hour when you actually need it.”
However, the availability of medical services is not a planning consideration as to whether Wiltshire Council approves the current planning application made by Beechcroft Developments Ltd and Porthaven Care Homes, which the Town Council’s planning committee has now rejected.
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