THE business manager of Launceston’s medical centre hopes there will be a decision on plans to expand the surgery next month, but negotiations are still under way to secure funding for the project and purchase the necessary land.

Medical centre business manager Peter Harper gave an update on the long-awaited expansion of the surgery at last week’s meeting of Launceston Community Network Panel, and explained their proposals.

The plans for expansion were submitted to Cornwall Council in August. Mr Harper said: “I’m led to believe that we can expect a decision by the 12th of October.”

He said the first business case was submitted in 2013, and that with the submission of the plans to the council: “We do really feel that we are making some progress.”

The funds to enable the plans to be submitted were provided by NHS England.

Mr Harper said: “The idea when we set out was we had to be very conscious that we’ve still got to have a working centre. We try to treat nearly 18,000 patients.”

He said the way to expand with minimum disruption was to look to build at the back of the surgery on Launceston Hospital land, but added they are still in negotiation with NHS Property Services, which is responsible for the land.

Mr Harper said: “There are two aspects to the funding — the actual building itself and the land. We are still in discussion with two separate parts of the NHS system — NHS England for the funding of the building and NHS Property Services for the sale of the land.”

He said negotiations on the land go back further than three years ‘when we had an agreement to buy it from the primary care trust’, but added since then it has gone through ‘transformations’.

He added: “We feel we are getting much, much closer.”

Paula Bland, head of locality support for the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (KCCG) said: “The land issue, I think we have been held back a bit because of lots of different organisational changes within the NHS.

“I have seen an email earlier this week asking the clinical commissioning group and NHS England do we support this development. We have both said yes, can you get on with it?

“We have ticked that box. They are starting to move on looking at the sale of that land. It’s positive — moving in the right direction. What I don’t know is how long that will take to sort out.”

Chair of the community network panel, Stoke Climsland Cornwall Councillor Neil Burden, said: “The land was given by Charles Gillbard for the use of the people of the town — it’s the people’s land.”

Roger Serginson of General Practice Investment Corporation, which offers a property service to the primary care sector and liases with the NHS, said he has had close involvement with the negotiations on the land, adding: “I’m hoping for an answer back soon.”

Cllr Burden asked if there was anything the community could do to speed up the process of expansion and Mr Serginson said: “If there’s any delay with the land your voices will probably be welcome to underline the local support.”

Mr Harper talked the meeting through the plans for expansion. If approved, the medical centre would double in size in terms of square metreage and end up with around 70 parking spaces. Mr Harper added: “You can never have enough unfortunately,” but said there are rules and regulations they have to follow in terms of parking provision.

Around 52 staff are employed at the medical centre, and Mr Harper said apart from the doctors, no staff park in the car park — they park down Landlake Road. He said that will continue if the medical centre expands, adding: “The additional car parking is patient car parking, not intended for staff car parking.”

There will be a one-way system for cars, starting at the entrance to the medical centre, so patients will arrive at the practice off Landlake Road and exit the centre in their car from the hospital road.

He said although they would keep disruption to a minimum, there would have to be some work done on the existing building. They will be enlarging the waiting room and patients would access the waiting room from a different entrance, although the present entrance would be kept to access the dispensary ‘so you wouldn’t have a big bottleneck’, Mr Harper said.

In the new building there will be a secondary waiting room for patients. Patients will have to walk round the front building to access the new part of the surgery, but Mr Harper said: “It’s going to be as short as possible,” and disabled parking will still be provided.

Mr Serginson said: “There will be photovoltaics on the roof for clean energy production for the practice. The consulting rooms will be acoustically designed. The whole specification of the building will be lifted to the 21st century.”

The meeting heard that ‘if everything falls into place’ the expansion would take between 18 and 20 months — 12 to 14 months for the actual build and six to eight months for legalities, tendering, etc.

There will be a net gain of 10 different types of consulting rooms. It is hoped to offer training practices for GPs.

David Bennett of Werrington Parish Council said: “Are you going to get enough doctors to fill the new consulting rooms?”

Mr Harper said: “There is a national problem recruiting GPs at the moment. We have already got plans underway.”

A paramedic working at the surgery will be increasing their hours later this year, and Mr Harper said they are ‘very close’ to employing a second paramedic.

“We are already starting now to think how are we going to overcome the situation of a possible lack of GPs. We are looking at other ways of utilising the staff we have got and introducing other staff into it.”

Resident, Gill Brown, asked: “Living on the north side of Launceston, a doctors’ surgery couldn’t possibly get much further away. Has any consideration ever been given to provision of clinical services on the north side?”

Mr Harper said: “About three or four years ago we were looking at other options available to us. We decided at the time that it was best to keep all the services in one place.

“I think the NHS in the last 12 months has supported that thought. They are encouraging larger facilities in one hub rather than having smaller things.”

Dawn Rogers from South Petherwin Parish Council said: “I think we should be thankful to the medical centre. They are taking forward thinking, they are improving for us and the people of Launceston, when we hear of some closing.”