Health care overhauled

Sep 26 2008 by Paul Mannion, Chester Chronicle

Health care overhauled

A MULTI-MILLION pound super-surgery proposed on the Frodsham College site will revolutionise the town’s health care.

The pioneering medical centre will house advanced equipment that will enable GPs to diagnose patients faster as well as provide, all under one roof:

Dental treatment,

Physiotherapy

An opticians

A sexual health clinic.

Practice manager of The Knoll surgery, High Street, Frodsham, Paul Smith explained: “Health services are fragmented around the area with community services based in our practice, The Rock Clinic and Helsby Health Centre.

“The new building will bring these services together and make the delivery of the service more convenient for the community.

“It will include increased diagnostic services and equipment, and bring some consultant clinics out of The Countess of Chester hospital and Halton hospital into Frodsham.

“In the Health Centre we would also bring together for the first time the “health economy” and we are collaborating with local dentists, opticians and pharmacies to ensure we will have the most convenient way of working.”

The new centre will provide health care for about 25,000 patients in Frodsham and Helsby and work will start on the new centre when Frodsham College closes in August 2009.

Dr Steven Pomfret of The Knoll surgery, High Street, added: “Both our surgery and The Rock surgery will be based in the new centre with some facilities and staff from the Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust. However we will remain separate practices in one building and won’t be joining together. We hope we will maintain all the services that we currently provide.”

Cheshire County Council gave approval for its officers to work with Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust and the surgeries to build a centre last Thursday.