An MP is calling for a health centre to be built in a town to bridge a “significant gap” in the need for the service.
Terry Jermy, MP for South West Norfolk, has called on the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB) to identify Downham as a location for the Government’s new Neighbourhood Health Centre rollout.
NHS England has requested that Norfolk and Suffolk ICB develop and submit their view on how these centres will be organised across the two counties to deliver effective local clinical strategies.
South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy
Mr Jermy has raised concerns about the “significant gap” in provision across West Norfolk, with no proposals included for the area stretching between the whole of Lynn and Thetford.
He has written to the ICB to urge them to consider including a Neighbourhood Health Centre in Downham, a town with more than 11,000 residents.
“Downham is recognised as one of the fastest-growing towns in Norfolk, experiencing rapid expansion due to major housing developments,” he said.
“Further, it is a local hub for many of the residents from the villages across West Norfolk. South West Norfolk has a higher-than-average aging population who need to have regular access to healthcare services, but often live in villages with infrequent public transport links.
“A health hub in Downham would guarantee a shorter, more direct journey for thousands.”
Neighbourhood health is a central pillar of the Government’s ten-year health plan and represents one of the most significant shifts in the organisation of health and care services since the creation of the integrated care systems, a spokesperson for Mr Jermy’s office said.
Its purpose is to improve access to general practice, bring care closer to home, reduce unnecessary reliance on hospitals, and support a fundamental shift from reactive treatment to prevention, proactive care and integrated multi-disciplinary working.
Neighbourhood Health Centres are a key physical and operational tool to support the neighbourhood health model, alongside care delivered in people’s homes, digitally and in general practice, pharmacies and other community settings.
The spokesperson added: “These centres will be the place to go for most health needs in every community. This approach also reflects the Government’s wider public service reform principles: shifting from reactive services to prevention, integrating services around people’s lives, and devolving power to local areas in partnership with communities and civil society.”