A significant investment was made in building Westcotes Health Centre under the last Labour Government. It should be providing a wide range of high quality GP and community health services but I’m very concerned that much of the building isn’t being fully used.

There are currently two GP practices, some district nursing, a specialist dental service and Brennan Pharmacy. However, the centre has space to offer a lot more, which is way I’ve met with local NHS bosses to once again press for action to make better use of this community asset. Under the new structures of the NHS, there seemed to be a lack of clear responsibility for this building.

I stressed the importance of giving local people a say on the services they would like to see and with this in mind, I’ll be carrying out a large community survey and holding a public meeting. Please get in touch if you’re a patient at the centre or if this is a topic that interests you.