\n Since March 2019, residents in Chickerell have had to register with GP surgeries outside the town after its only surgery closed due to GP shortages and staff pressures.\n<\/p>\n
\n Cllr Gill Taylor, who represents the town on Dorset Council, says medical services in the town have been a “long ongoing concern” with residents forced to make the trip to Wyke Regis to see a doctor.\n<\/p>\n
\n Dorset Council Chickerell Cllr Gill Taylor (Image: Dorset Council)\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: “Although this is primarily an NHS issue, I\u2019ve had many people contact me saying that they were being asked to go to the surgery in Wyke Regis which is extremely difficult without a car.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It required two bus journeys or an expensive taxi ride.\n<\/p>\n
\n “As a result I have worked with Dorset Council and the bus companies and there is now a bus service that runs from Chickerell to the top of Lanehouse Rocks Road so at least helps residents most of the way to the Wyke Surgery.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Having said this, it is vital that access to NHS services in Chickerell is improved. What is there at the moment is not good enough.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Chickerell Town Council has also moved to reassure residents that they have been working with NHS Dorset and a local GP surgery regarding “the possibility of developing a new, fit-for-purpose medical facility” in the town.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Chickerell Surgery on Abbotsbury Road closed in 2019 (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n However, despite there being no surgery in the town for around seven years, discussions remain at an early stage and their appears to be no immediate solution.\n<\/p>\n
\n A spokesperson for the council said: “We recognise that medical services within the town have faced challenges in recent years and, with continued housing growth and population increases, it remains important that opportunities to improve and future-proof local healthcare provision continue to be actively explored.\n<\/p>\n
\n “A considerable amount of work and discussion has taken place behind the scenes over some time. However, due to the involvement of multiple organisations and the early nature of discussions, it has not previously been possible to share details publicly.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We are now able to confirm that positive discussions and engagement have been taking place between the relevant parties. However, it is important to note that discussions remain at an early stage and no final decisions or commitments have yet been made.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The town council will continue to support and encourage progress wherever possible and will share further updates with residents as and when more definitive information becomes available.”\n<\/p>\n
\n NHS Dorset has previously committed to delivering a new facility but that progress has been slow.\n<\/p>\n
\n NHS Dorset also says that providing medical services in Chickerell remains a “top priority” but would not allude to a timeline on when residents could expect to see a surgery in the town.\n<\/p>\n
\n Dr Dean Spencer, director for Dorset Place at NHS Dorset said: “The local councils have worked closely with NHS Dorset for several years to support GP practices in the Chickerell area to develop plans for future services. Finding a sustainable solution remains a top priority for the ICB.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Do you live in Chickerell and are you keen to improved services? We’d love to hear from you! Email andy.jones@newsquest.co.uk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since March 2019, residents in Chickerell have had to register with GP surgeries outside the town after its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635338,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-635337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635337","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=635337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}