By Richard SmithTHOUSANDS of patients will be affected by a widespread revamp of a town's health care services.Suffolk Coastal Primary Care Trust is planning to bring together the services offered by doctors and health staff on three sites in Woodbridge and consolidate them on two locations in the town.

By Richard Smith

THOUSANDS of patients will be affected by a widespread revamp of a town's health care services.

Suffolk Coastal Primary Care Trust is planning to bring together the services offered by doctors and health staff on three sites in Woodbridge and consolidate them on two locations in the town.

They have decided to act because of “critical” overcrowding at the two doctors' surgeries in St John's Street and Little St John Street and the failure of the Framfield House surgery in St John's Street to meet the regulations of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Framfield House will move to a new building at Notcutts Garden Centre and start operating a “one-stop” centre within two years.

The Little St John Street surgery was originally going to expand into the neighbouring public library, but this was abandoned when the doctors could not secure funding.

Now the surgery is to move into the health clinic in Pytches Road and share facilities with the primary care trust. This move is planned for 2007/08 and will significantly increase the floor space for doctors and staff.

A report by Anne Taylor, the trust's joint clinical director, for a board meeting tomorrow said there was not a large enough site available to accommodate all services and so two locations had been chosen.

The costs include £40,000 for altering the health clinic and up to £270,000 annually for rent, business rates, service charges and running costs at Notcutts Garden Centre.

But savings will be made through no longer operating in St John's Street and Little St John's Street.

However, further details are required about the proposal for Pytches Road to assess the impact on traffic.

richard.smith@eadt.co.uk