New health centre plan to ease pressure on services

A new health centre could ease pressure on Bracknell NHS services if funding plans are approved by a council.

The Ascot Centre for Health could be built in Sunningdale to "support the expected growth in the local population".

A plan presented to council leaders at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) said patients in Ascot were having to travel to Bracknell for some NHS services due to a lack of capacity at the current buildings.

Council leaders are being asked to give authority to officers to enter into the necessary legal agreements at a meeting later.

The plan said: "The Ascot population is one of the oldest in the country with a high number of care homes and senior assisted living in the area.

"This is placing an ever increasing demand on services.

"The lack of capacity has already resulted in some services including immunisations and vaccines, having to be provided from premises in Bracknell.

"Maternity and community services are also having to be delivered at multiple sites in Bracknell and this puts a pressure on Bracknell facilities as well."

If approved by council leaders, the new health centre would be built in Sunningdale at a site not named in the public council plan.

The plan said it would provide new accommodation for two existing GP practices as well as "community, mental health and maternity services for the people of Ascot and surrounding areas".

It said both GP surgeries' current premises were too small and could not be upgraded to deliver modern services.

The plan added that if the new centre was not built, both GP surgeries would "inevitably" have to close their lists "as they are already exceeding the capacity of their estate".

A report to council leaders said the new health centre would be built with NHS funding and managed by the Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB).

However they said the care board needed to enter into financial and project agreements with RBWM to secure the NHS funding and deliver the facilities.

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