Plan revealed for new health centre and ambulance station

PLANS for a long-awaited health centre have been unveiled to give local people a chance to comment.

The proposal is to create a health centre utilising part of the Newholme Hospital and the adjacent ambulance site in Baslow Road at Bakewell.

The project has been developed between Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust to provide a base for a range of community health services and a new ambulance

Artist’s impression of new health facilities

station the Derbyshire Dales.

A public exhibition is available online from now until December 7 at www.planningconsultationonline.co. uk.

An online presentation with a question and answer session will be held on November 30 from 6.30pm.

William Jones, Derbyshire

Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust’s chief operating officer, said: “This is a big milestone in bringing this project to life and I am immensely grateful to everyone who has worked so hard on this and to Bakewell residents for their patience while we worked through the details.”

Samantha Westwell, ambulance operations manager for East Midlands Ambulance Service in Derbyshire said: “This is a really exciting step in the development of the new health hub for Bakewell.

“Not only will this new building and its modern facilities be such an improvement on our old ambulance station, but by physically sharing a space together it will undoubtedly build on our relationships and understanding of one another’s organisations and work we do to support our communities.”

The whole site is owned by NHS Property Services, which is closely involved and supportive of the scheme. NHS Property Services has sold back to Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, the strip of land incorporating Riverside Ward, on which the health hub is proposed to be located.

NHS Property Services will decide what happens to the main Newholme Hospital site once the new health hub is completed and all services moved into the new accommodation.