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THE long awaited plans for a Primary Care Centre in Devizes will be unveiled next month.

Outline plans by the Wiltshire Primary Care Trust were expected to go before the board at its meeting on Tuesday but have been put back until the board meeting on May 20.

This was the second time that the plans had been delayed by the trust. They were originally due to go to the board last October.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, trust chief executive Jeff James said: "We expect the outline business case of the Primary Care Centre for Devizes to come to the board at its next meeting.

"The reason for it not being on the agenda today is we believe we have a little bit more work to finalise the preparation of the business case. It was our judgement to review that fully by the executive team rather than it coming to the board in what would be a draft form. "

Finance director John Williams said all three GP practices in Devizes had indicated an interest in relocating.

Mr James quashed a rumour that the trust planned to buy land at Hopton Industrial Estate to build a hospital.

The Primary Care Centre will replace Devizes Hospital and Devizes Health Centre in New Park Street.

The centre could have a pharmacy, outpatients service, therapies, and also dental and diagnostic facilities.

Mr James was unable to give a timetable on when the Primary Care Centre would be built and said this would be considered in May.

He said a final decision was awaited from the Government on whether an NHS treatment centre, for routine operations and run by the private sector, would be built at Green Lane.

"The proposal is working its way through the Department of Health for treasury approval. Everything we see at this stage encourages us that the independent treatment sector centre will get approval,"he said.

He said the treatment centre and Primary Care Centre were not interlinked. "We have tried to guarantee certainty of the Primary Care Centre regardless of what happens for the treatment centre."

Coun Paula Winchcombe said: "I'm reassured that the two projects are not dependent on each other."

12:00pm Thursday 17th April 2008

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