Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
GP surgery for 15,000 patients
Practice to open this year in hospital grounds
New images have been released of a GP surgery which will cater for 15,000 patients when it opens later this year. Canterbury Medical Practice currently under construction at the K&C Hospital - will become the largest of its type in the city as it combines the workload of the soon-to-be-closed Cossington House and London Road surgeries.
Teams at the existing practices will leave their “cramped and outdated premises” and move into the new purpose-built facilities.
The spacious centre - identified as a priority by the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group - will boast 12 consulting rooms, four treatment rooms, a new pharmacy and 30 parking spaces. Construction work has slowed due to the challenges of coronavirus, but is now progressing and is due to be complete in the coming months.
The development came to light after healthcare watchdogs at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) deemed both Cossington House and London Road “challenged” to deliver primary care services or cope with an increase in patient numbers due to scores of proposed housing developments.
The new-build will be managed by the umbrella group, also named Canterbury Medical Practice, which runs centres on the outskirts of the city in Bridge and Littlebourne. Fresh images of the new surgery have been released this week to give future patients a taste of what is to come. Emma Ray, executive manager at Canterbury Medical Practice said: “We’re excited to share the internal images showing what our new surgery will look like.
“Although we have a fondness for the beautiful surgery buildings at Cossington House and London Road, our new premises will make such a difference to our patients’ experiences. “We’re looking at how we can use the space to its maximum potential and working with local stakeholders and other healthcare providers to make sure we can provide the excellent care in a first-class setting that our patients deserve.” Construction firm Jenner has been leading the development of the new-build. It was originally hoped to open in December 2019, however, it is now planned to officially open later this year.