Norton Place, on Ness Road, Shoebury, is under threat after changes to NHS funding arrangements left operators facing mounting financial pressures, with closure being considered as early as September.
However, according to NHS Essex ICB, a local GP practice is considering using part of Norton Place while improvement works are carried out at its own premises, which could help keep the hub open. No agreement has yet been reached.
Speaking at a special meeting of Southend’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Dr Aidan Irlam, representing the Southend East Primary Care Network (PCN), stressed a decision had not been made.
“The closure is not a foregone conclusion,” he said.
“Three years ago people didn’t even know that building existed and we’ve worked hard to build up services there, and not just medical services.
“From our point of view, we very much want the building to continue, but we do have to look at these finances. Our accountant was very adamant that we should act sooner rather than later otherwise we’re going to be in deep trouble.”
The PCN is consulting staff and examining ways to cut costs in the hope of preserving services at the site.
Dr Irlam told councillors the organisation had been warned it was carrying a five-figure debt after three years of meeting the building’s running costs, including utilities and staffing expenses.
“Basically, we ran out of money,” he said. “We had to look at ways to reduce our bills.
“The obvious one is to not use the building because if patients get moved back to the surgery, the admin staff are already in place to deal with that. That would save us some money and we wouldn’t need to pay the heating bill.
“We were also asked to look generally at staffing cuts if we needed to do them, but hopefully that won’t be the case because a lot of those jobs are ring-fenced.”
Despite the financial pressures, Dr Irlam insisted patient access would not be reduced.
The centre currently provides around 250 appointments each week, equating to about 13,000 appointments a year, alongside a range of NHS and community services.
Councillors questioned how those appointments could be accommodated elsewhere should the facility close and requested further updates from NHS Essex as discussions over the hub’s future continue.