Shaw folk not feeling good about health plan

Reporter: JANICE BARKER
Date online: 05 May 2010

Shaw residents will have to wait until summer for more details of their proposed new health centre.

And the delay in starting work has frustrated Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes, who says the local NHS trust is failing to keep people informed.

In July, last year, the plans to bring a new super-health centre to Shaw were submitted to Oldham Council.

Work was expected to start on the scheme, off Westway, early this year, with completion in spring, 2011.

But Councillor Sykes, the leader of Oldham Council, is frustrated with the delay and has written to Gail Richards, chief executive of NHS Oldham, which provides frontline health services.

He stated: “What exactly is happening with regard to the above?

“The last we were told was that work would commence in early January but there is still no sign of the works starting or any indication of a date when they might.

“The residents of Shaw and Crompton and near-by stake holders to the proposed site have a right to know what your plans are particularly in relation to the timescales involved.”

Now residents are questioning whether there will be a new health centre at all.

Councillor Sykes added: “A significant number continue to contact local councillors to inquire about the scheme and find it difficult to believe we are as much in the dark about it as they are.”

A spokesman for NHS Oldham said:“We’re committed to making sure people living in Oldham can access high quality health services in modern facilities, and have been working to deliver this for some years now.

“We hope to be able to provide a more detailed update over the summer.”