Progress made on new health centre for Saddleworth

The first steps towards a new health centre for Saddleworth have been taken after extensive lobbying by Liberal Democrat councillors.

A business case for a centre is being developed to attract the funding needed, with a board being put together including all the relevant stakeholders.

Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “This is a significant first step in the project. We have worked hard with the local Integrated Care Board in particular, who have long acknowledged the need for a centre in Saddleworth.

“The current GP building is way over capacity. It can’t accommodate any extra services which we should have locally, so residents currently end up travelling to the hospital or other centres unnecessarily.”

In the new year, the councillors will also be meeting with the Northern Care Alliance to ensure that it is committed to moving healthcare services into the district so that any new building is used to its full potential.

Councillor Helen Bishop, who already led negotiations to save the Greenfield GP Practice, said: “This is another piece of significant progress on healthcare that we are delighted to have delivered.

“It’s probably the number one thing that local residents bring up on the doorstep. We need to make sure people can get health services locally and access GP appointments when they need them.”