Plans submitted for all-in-one healthcare hub

A disused university building in east Kent could be transformed into an all-in-one healthcare centre offering up to 60,000 appointments a year.

Plans are in to host GPs, opticians and dentists on the site in Northwood Road in Broadstairs.

The proposals have been put forward for the Carey Building, which was previously used by Canterbury Christ Church University until it closed in 2018.

NHS chiefs said the development would “speed up the start of treatment and reduce the need for hospital visits at a time when services are under strain and appointment slots are scarce".

A spokesperson for Healthcare Needs, the consultancy behind the scheme, said: “The building is adjacent to the thriving shopping centre at Westwood Cross and in an area of significant housing growth.”

Plans for the facility include GPs, opticians, dentists and a pharmacy, as well as a community diagnostic centre.

The latter would be run by the East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, and carry out MRIs, echocardiograms and blood testing.

In total, the centre would offer primary care for 7,000 patients and up to 60,000 appointments a year, phased over five years, the application added.

There would be 36 consultation rooms across the building including spaces for podiatry, phlebotomy, cardiology, paediatrics, counselling, treatment and respiratory care.

A spokesperson for East Kent Health & Care Partnership said funding was not yet guaranteed.

It is not yet known when Thanet District Council (TDC) will decide on the new healthcare hub

In July, TDC approved another healthcare centre in Westwood, known as Westwood Health Campus, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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