Thornbury Health Centre development progresses towards planning application

NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB (BNSSG ICB) and South Gloucestershire Council are working together to progress the development of a brand-new health centre for Thornbury, located on the former Thornbury Hospital site.

Now that plans have been prepared, the ICB, Council and local GP practices want to share them with local residents and patient groups.

An information session will be held at St Mary’s Hall in Thornbury on Thursday 29 August, between 3pm and 7pm where the plans will be on display and officers will be available to answer questions about how the buildings would operate.

Shane Devlin, Chief Executive at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, said:

“We are pleased to be working closely with South Gloucestershire Council to bring forward the development of brand-new health centre for Thornbury, which will form a key part of the regeneration of this site.

“Once finished, the health centre will provide both practices with the space and facilities needed to enable them to continue to deliver outstanding care for many years to come.”

Cllr Adam Monk, South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, said:

“I encourage local residents and patients to come along and see the plans, which we hope will deliver new and fit-for-purpose primary care facilities for them. We appreciate that the people of Thornbury have been waiting a long time for new facilities.

“We are pleased to be working in partnership with the ICB to take forward this work to design the new GP surgery buildings. They will complement the Extra Care Housing facilities we hope to deliver on the rest of the site. Combined, these programmes will bring the site back into use for benefit of the health and wellbeing of the town.”

Stephanie Celso, Practice Manager at Streamside Surgery, and Susan Bryan, Practice Manager at Severn View Family Practice, said:

“We are really excited to be progressing towards the development a state-of-the-art health centre for our patients.

“We encourage all our patients and local population with interest in the health centre to take some time to view the proposals and find out more about what is being planned.”

Work is continuing to develop the business case that will be presented to the Government in March 2025 for a new building to house the existing GP practices, Streamside Surgery and Severn Vale Family Practice.

Last year the Government invited BNSSG ICB to develop a business plan to unlock £14.4million in funding to deliver a brand-new health centre.

The project will provide a new home for the two existing GP surgeries, as well as consulting rooms for community-based health services delivered by Sirona care & health.

The proposals will be submitted for planning consent in the autumn, before being handed to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in March next year, who will need to approve the project and the funding in order for it to proceed.

At the same time, South Gloucestershire Council are also working on proposals to deliver an Extra Care Housing scheme on the site. The Extra Care Housing scheme would be run by a specialist provider and offer residents the chance to live in their own homes, while surrounded by the health and other support they need to retain their independence.

Residents are also able to view the plans and provide their comments on the designs online at: thornburyhealthcentre.commonplace.is/