A POTENTIAL new investor for the Camelford health hub has been found.

The news was confirmed by Paula Bland, head of locality support for NHS Kernow CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) at the Camelford Network Panel meeting on December 11.

The project aimed to replace the exisiting GP surgery in Camelford with a modern health hub. The project was initially granted £750,000 from NHS England and there was an agreement that Cornwall Council would be committed to the project.

However, in September it was announced that there was no deliverable scheme or proposal in its current form.

At the network panel meeting, Ms Bland said the project has taken quite some time, but added: “Where we are right now, we have a new investor that’s quite interested in the project and has put together an outline project plan to help the surgery to expand.

“We all recognise that the surgery is not really big enough for the population it serves.”

Ms Bland said one reason for the delay was that an investor had to pull out.

“It’s positive news but I can’t give you any more news on timescales or anything like that.”

Lauren Rathbone, Camelford town councillor, asked if the land between the current surgery and the church had been purchased, and Ms Bland confirmed it had not. The land is owned by the diocese.

Ayla Ackroyd Johnson, who has been distributing a petition calling for a health hub in the town, asked which investor pulled out and who was the new one?

Clare Bryant, chief finance officer for NHS Kernow CCG, said the information may be commercially confidential, but Ms Ackroyd Johnson asked if it was Cornwall Council that pulled out and Ms Bland said yes.

Ms Bland said the council offered some funds in principle but not enough to carry out the scale of the project.

At this point in the meeting, Zara Mason who works for Cornwall Council’s property services, joined the panel at the front to address concerns.

“The landscape of health and primary care has changed over recent years,” she said. “The council has worked much closer with NHS partners.”

She said one of the things that has come up is how the council can help primary care, and this can be done in two ways - firstly with a property solution as a landlord, and secondly as an investment opportunity.

Referring to the investment opportunity, Ms Mason said the council carried out a thorough options appraisal on the health hub project, but it was not deemed possible.

“We are still looking at opportunities throughout the county.”

Ms Rathbone said: “We’ve got new housing developments coming in a few years, Cornwall Council is happy to approve housing developments but we’ve got a surgery at capacity.”

Although there were calls on a council cap on more housing, Ms Mason said housing numbers come from central government.

Camelford resident, Brian Lush said: “There’s been more stumbling blocks with this health centre over the last 10 years than there have been with Brexit. The goalposts change every five years. We will all be dead and gone before anything is done.”

The meeting was told that a project outline has been submitted to NHS England and the next stage would be the development of an outline business case.

Ms Akroyd Johnson said: “We’re worried that it’s just been put from pillar to post and nothing is being put in concrete. We can’t be left with nothing. Surely it should be sped up and be seen as a priority?”

Ms Bryant assured the meeting that Camelford was a priority, adding: “It’s high on our priority list and has been a priority for some time. We are trying everything we can.”

John Conway, a Launceston town councillor and also clerk to Otterham parish council, said: “Any politician here, do not let them have 30 seconds spare time. Keep the pressure on, keep the pressure on. It’s a total mindset and we’ve got to keep on top of it.”

Cllr Dominic Fairman, Cornwall Councillor for St Teath and St Breward said Cornwall Council pulled out as they couldn’t make the numbers add up, but the new investor will also want to make costs etc, so he asked the panel what had changed?

Ms Mason said some investors make money back from other add-ons.

Ms Bland noted that the new investor is looking at a bit smaller scale GP surgery to help future proof the service, but it is possibly a less ambitious project.

Veronica Stansfield from St Breward raised the problem of new housing and an increase in Camelford’s population with Dr Anthony Nash (who owns the current GP surgery with Dr Garrod).

“Are you able to accommodate all these new people?”

Dr Nash said: “We’ve felt that we’ve been at capacity for a long time already. General practices have always been a bottomless well, you pour patients in and we cope.”