Cash fears lead to health centre doubt

SUGGESTED site . . . derelict land behind Ainsworth DIY

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THE future of a new health centre in Saddleworth looks uncertain after NHS Oldham confirmed that alternative funding would need to be found for the scheme to get the go-ahead.

New health centres in the borough have been funded by the £100 million LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) scheme, including developments in Glodwick, Moorside and Chadderton.

But local councillors and residents in Saddleworth have voiced concerns about the far-reaching effects of government spending cuts, announced last week.

Saddleworth councillor John McCann said: “I am very worried about this because we do not know whether the funding has been ring-fenced.

“The clinic in Uppermill is fantastic, I go there myself, but it is working to capacity.

“We don’t want an all-singing, all-dancing multi-storey centre, just a simple surgery with a few additional rooms.”

The primary care trust says there has been ongoing talks with Oldham Council about facilities in Saddleworth, but it is too early to tell how the scheme will be affected.

Shauna Dixon, director of clinical leadership for NHS Oldham, said: “We have always recognised the particular needs of the rural communities in Saddleworth and a range of approaches to providing access to improved health and well-being services has been looked at. There is still a possibility for future development, however the money for this would need to be found through alternative funding sources, given the existing and increasing pressures on NHS resources.”

The trust had come under pressure having to tighten its belt to avoid a potential £10 million deficit by the end of March, 2011.

Greenfield, being the second biggest village in Saddleworth, was suggested by many as a possible site for the centre.

Councillor McCann says local councillors advised NHS Oldham of various sites for realistic development opportunities including derelict land behind Ainsworth DIY in Greenfield.

But he argues that a lack of communication resulted in the NHS testing land that locals could have advised was unsuitable from the beginning.

Mike Rooke, from Greenfield and Grasscroft Residents’ Association, said: “We are extremely disappointed with the lack of progress.

“Why should this part of the borough be excluded from the first-rate facilities that others have got?

“The needs of the community still exist, so we need to be hopeful, but at the moment it’s all up in the air.”