FOLLOWING news last week that the Alton Health Centre site is to be sold off for development, support has been flooding in for beleaguered Wilson practice GPs. As the rug is torn from beneath their feet, the GPs are fighting to secure adequate primary care provision for a rapidly expanding population at the eastern end of town. Driven by "financial imperative" and despite all protestations, North Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has confirmed that it is to continue with the proposed sale, but that it hopes to reach "a mutually acceptable solution" with all parties involved. The 1.6 acre site on Anstey Road has been valued as £1.4m solely for health use and £2.3m with 60 per cent housing - leaving less than half the site for a health centre and car park. The practice's concern is that any surgery on the site, whether it be refurbishment of the existing building or new build, would only be 700 sq metres in size - the NHS provision based on a 13,000 patient list - and that, they say, is not enough. Urgent talks were held on Friday last week and again this Monday to try to arrive at an agreed solution, but the message appears quite clear - the PCT needs to make money from the site, and quickly. According to senior partner, Dr Mike Hayward, having weathered the shock last Monday of discovering that the PCT had decided to sell off the site behind their backs, Wilson Practice GPs had a useful meeting on Friday with NHPCT chairman, Dr Tony Ludlow, which had left them with a glimmer of hope. Dr Ludlow appeared supportive of their position and was able to take away some key information that the trust board had not been aware of when making the decision to sell. "We feel it was an erroneous decision based on erroneous and absent facts," said Dr Hayward. Tony Ludlow, he said, had agreed to contact the rest of the non-executives involved in the decision-making process to put the record straight. But while the GPs believe they have the chairman on their side, their fear is for the executive members who appear "hell bent on pushing this project through". A meeting on Monday evening with NHPCT finance director Mike Lincoln left them with no illusions. According to Dr Hayward, despite missing the deadline for the end of the financial year, the PCT believes that if the sale is pushed through "very, very quickly" the purchase date can be "levered back" so that it shows up in last year's figures. In a statement this week, a spokesperson for North Hampshire Primary Care Trust confirmed: "Our negotiations with a potential developer are continuing, and the PCT has also met the Wilson Practice to discuss its wishes and concerns. "We are still committed to improving the standard of accommodation for the Wilson Practice and remain willing to fund a modern surgery for the practice on the Alton Health Centre site. "At the same time, we need to release the money tied up in unused parts of the site. "At a time when the NHS locally has severe financial pressures, we cannot ignore this opportunity to release almost £1 million that we can invest in better health services throughout our area. "We will keep working closely with all the parties to try and identify a mutually acceptable solution." Tony Ludlow is working flat out to try and breach the gap between what the GPs feel they need and what the PCT is able to provide. He told The Herald: "I am working closely with the GPs to ensure that, whatever happens, they will be in better premises than now and that they will have maximum input into designing those premises. There are a number of questions for which we need answers and we will try and get the answers in the next few days." In the meantime, both the PCT and the Wilson Practice have engaged surveyors to establish how much space the practice actually uses and needs at present. With a high level of development expected at the eastern end of town in the near future, there is a need also to ensure adequate room for expansion of patient numbers. The GPs remain adamant - they are still fighting from the inside to put together the best deal for the people of Alton in terms of practice area and primary health care provision. If it is not adequate they will call a public meeting to discuss the matter further.
