New health centre plan is approved
Plans for a new health and social care facility in the Dargavel area took a further step forward this week as planning was approved by Renfrewshire Council.
The Bishopton Health Centre satellite facility is expected to open in 2025 and provide care to the increased population associated with the new Dargavel village.
The centre will be operated by the existing medical practice in Bishopton and feature additional space for care services to be delivered by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).
The centre features five consulting rooms, one treatment room, four multiuse rooms and one community room and offers flexible spaces to ensure clinicians can deliver as broad a spectrum of services as possible.
Christine Laverty, chief officer of Renfrewshire HSCP said: “This is a welcome milestone for the project. It is a positive step towards further developing health and social care services for the area, in line with the increasing local population.
“I would like to thank the community for its input so far and the support they have shown for our proposals. We look forward to continuing to engage with them as the scheme progresses.”
The new facility – situated near the retail units at Dalgety Drive – has, the HSCP says, been designed to accommodate the population of Dargavel which will increase substantially in the coming years.
David Woodrow, chair of Bishopton Community Council, said he welcomed news that the proposal had won planning permission.
But he said many in the village remain of the belief that rather than refurbishing the existing health centre and building a second, that one larger health centre where several services could be delivered under one roof was the better option.
He added: “It’s ludicrous that the old health centre will continue with a satellite 200 yards up the road when the policy of the HSCP has been to create these health care hubs that are all singing and all dancing with various services in each. There is one in Renfrew and plans for those in Johnstone and Paisley.
“In Bishopton we are eight years down the line and the new one will become a hub and the original one is on an e-class road with restricted sight and is so congested at time even the doctors can’t get in.”
Bishopton Medical Practice – whose current premises was refurbished in 2022 to add to its capacity – was chosen to operate the Dargavel facility because of its wealth of local knowledge, reputation and ability to attract new clinicians and staff.
It is hoped a larger team across both sites will offer continuity of care for patients in what will soon be two primary care facilities.
The practice will continue over the coming years to actively look to recruit GPs, advanced nurse practitioners and practice nurses to accommodate the increase in patient numbers.
The HSCP hopes to start construction on site in the spring of next year and, while a comprehensive timeline will be published once technical details and building warrants have been agreed - it is forecast the building will be completed towards the end of 2025.