Community has local care centre again

Anew care centre has opened in Bridge of Earn after the town’s GP practice suddenly closed last year.

The Community Care and Treatment Ser vice centre is based in a former nurses’ home which has been renovated following £130,000 in funding from NHS Tayside and will be the base for the local district nursing team.

The clinic can currently offer some wound and stitch treatments but hopes to provide a full range of services by March.

These future services will include wound care , phlebotomy, ear care and minor injury treatments as well as chronic disease monitoring and mental health and wellbeing support.

Residents were left furious last year when it was announced that their surgery would be closing following the resignations of its two doctors.

He a l t h chiefs were criticised for giving little warning of the impending closure to 3,500 patients before the doors shut at the surgery in August 2019.

The new centre is seen as a way for NHS Tayside and the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) to deliver services within the area in the absence of a surgery.

Grant Archibald, chief executive of NHS Tayside, said: “When the local GP practice in Bridge of Earn closed last year, along with the (HSCP) partnership, we committed to look at the deliver y of health services to explore what could be provided in the local area.

“NHS Ta y s i d e has invested significantly in the former nurses’ home which now offers modern facilities and a base for the local district nursing team.

“I look forward to seeing the service develop over the coming months and more treatments and clinics being delivered closer to home in people’s local community.”

As well as being the base for the district nursing team, the clinic will also be the home of the south locality community care and treatment team of Perth and Kinross health and social care partnership.

Gordon Paterson, chief officer of the partnership, said: “I am delighted that this new service is now seeing patients following considerable service planning from the local team.

“Having access to health care locally will benefit many residents and save patients from having to travel to their GP for some primary care services.”