{"id":302147,"date":"2025-12-06T22:05:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T22:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/302147\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T22:05:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T22:05:08","slug":"dartford-council-agrees-to-work-with-nhs-to-lead-and-part-fund-project-to-build-multi-million-pound-greenhithe-medical-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/302147\/","title":{"rendered":"Dartford council agrees to work with NHS to lead and part-fund project to build multi-million-pound Greenhithe Medical Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The new cost of a multi-million-pound \u201csuper surgery\u201d which will serve tens of thousands of patients has been revealed.<\/p>\n

It comes as cabinet members agreed that Dartford council would become the developer of the proposed Greenhithe Medical Centre at a meeting on Thursday night (December 4).<\/p>\n

\"WhatWhat the proposed Greenhithe Medical Centre could look like. Picture: Planning Portal<\/p>\n

Plans to convert a former car park in Steele Avenue, Greenhithe<\/a>, into a medical facility were unanimously approved<\/a> by councillors in May 2024 – three years after they were first proposed.<\/p>\n

It will see the amalgamation of two general practices, Swanscombe and Bean Partnership and the Temple Hill Group, with patients from surgeries at Elmdene, Greenhithe and Ivy Bower using the new building.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, councillors committed \u00a33.6 million<\/a> of community infrastructure levy (CIL) funding towards the brand-new facility, which is now expected to cost around \u00a39 million to build.<\/p>\n

It has since been revealed that the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), the lead organisation behind the scheme, could not deliver it under the previously approved terms.<\/p>\n

According to the report discussed by cabinet members, it was also unable to agree to proposed changes when considering value for money and affordability.<\/p>\n

\"AA map showing where the existing surgeries are and where the new one will be<\/p>\n

To ensure the scheme, which will be mostly funded by NHS capital money, is built, the council has decided it will work with the ICB and now lead the project.<\/p>\n

Leader of the council, Cllr Jeremy Kite, said: \u201cWe have taken action to unlock a major investment in the health and well-being of local residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy bringing services together in a purpose-built, modern setting, we are making it easier for people in Greenhithe and the surrounding area to access the care they rely on in a building designed to support our communities now and in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur council is not normally responsible for healthcare delivery locally, but the truth is that without some action, this facility is unlikely to come forward, and we are not the sort of council to stand by and allow that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief strategy and partnerships officer at NHS Kent and Medway, Ed Waller, added: \u201cWe are delighted to be working in partnership with Dartford council to deliver this priority healthcare estates project.<\/p>\n

\"CllrCllr Jeremy Kite said without help the facility would not be built<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new facility will support improved patient access and experience, expansion of the workforce and provide for a predicted growth in patient numbers in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Greenhithe Medical Centre is expected to be completed before the end of 2027.<\/p>\n

Once built, it will increase the surgeries\u2019 capacity with 14 consulting and examination rooms, four treatment rooms and a minor surgery unit to support a wider range of medical services.<\/p>\n

It will also be able to accommodate around 150,000 appointments a year with added spaces in the evenings and at weekends.<\/p>\n

Residents, councillors and local health leaders have previously expressed their frustration at the hold-up as the stalled plans were seen as desperately needed in an area with pressure on GP services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new cost of a multi-million-pound \u201csuper surgery\u201d which will serve tens of thousands of patients has been…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[3843,102,2960,191,4475,229,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-302147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-dartford","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-kent","12":"tag-planning","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}