Agenda item

The Health Select Committee had asked for an update on GP services in Kingsbury following discussions on the Stag Lane Clinic. NHS Brent has provided a brief statement setting out the latest position with Stag Lane (see appendix 1).

Jo Ohlson (Director of Primary Care Commissioning, NHS Brent) introduced the position statement on Stag Lane Clinic by Mark Easton (Chief Executive, NHS Brent), dated 2 February 2010.  She noted that a large crack had appeared, last summer, on one side of the building.  An underground survey, she added, had revealed that there was underground movement.  Once this had been discovered, she noted that NHS Brent had three options. One option would have been to close Stag Lane Clinic.  However, this was not an option that NHS Brent pursued.  The other two options, she stated, were to either isolate part of the Clinic so that practices could run or to put up a portakabin.  In November 2009, Jo Ohlson explained that NHS Brent were hoping to isolate part of Stage Lane Clinic to house the GP practice whilst building work was carried out to make it safe.   However, she noted, that after a further assessment of the building, it had been decided to commission a new portakabin on the current clinic parking area to accommodate the practice.   Jo Ohlson explained that they could not have guaranteed that additional underground movement would not have occurred had the building be retained.   She noted that the setting up of potakabins would give certainty to patients for at least two years.  She stated that a timetable would be published shortly.

At present, Jo Ohlson explained that a number of community services, which were on the side of the building affected by the work, had been moved to alternative sites as stated in the position statement.   However, she noted that she had been informed by Dr Shah that the Family Planning Service was still operating at Stag Lane Clinic. Looking to the long term, Jo Ohlson explained that they were in discussions with practices to find out how many could be moved to Robert Courts.  Due to the fact that there was zero growth in the budget, she noted that it would need a number of practices coming together into one building so that the new building was revenue neutral.  She explained that NHS Brent were in discussion with the council, following the council’s plans to rebuild Hay Lane and Grove Park, regarding a joint development.  However, it was stated that this may not be possible. She noted that a land swap could be another possibility.  

In the discussion which followed, a concern was raised regarding the amount of progress which had been made since November 2009. In response to a query, Jo Ohlson noted that a 16 week provisional timetable would be published shortly.   When asked why the joint development might not be possible, Jo Ohlson explained that the council’s plans for the rebuild were so far advanced that it might not be able to accommodate them. Councillor Dunwell raised a concern that the council’s housing programmes could suffer as a result of NHS Brent not having the growth in their budget to provide an infrastructure for health services.   In response to a query made by Councillor Malik, Jo Ohlson stated that there were no proposals to develop housing on the Stag Lane Clinic site.

RESOLVED:-

that the update be noted.