PLANS to spend £4.9 million on a new Integrated Health and Social Care Centre in Builth Wells have been backed by local politicians.
Welsh Assembly Government Health Minister Edwina Hart has approved Powys Teaching Health Board’s plans for the new service, and will provide up to £4.9 million to develop the project.
The preferred site for the new centre has been identified as the Brynhyfred Care Home and is earmarked for completion in December 2012.
Mrs Hart said: “This new integrated health and social care centre, once completed, will be a vast improvement on the current old facilities.
“Our aim is to provide more services closer to people's homes, reducing the need for people to travel to major hospitals. This development brings together a range of services under one roof, fostering a closer working relationship between services, which simplifies and speeds up access to services for patients.”
Builth Wells Town Councillor, Avril York, voiced her delight at the announcement.
She said: “This is wonderful news for Builth and the surrounding area. I wish to express my sincere thanks to the project team for their persistence and diligence over a long period. And I also wish to thank local people for their patience and belief that Builth would finally have a new facility. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the project team as it engages with the community to design a building that will become the focus for our health & social care needs in the future.”
Councillor Rosemarie Harris, chair of the Builth Project Board, said: “A lot of work has gone into the development of this innovative new service. Close engagement with the community has, quite rightly, led to strong local expectations.
"We are delighted that the Welsh Assembly Government has now supported us to turn our exciting new concept into a reality. As plans develop we will ensure the needs of current residents of Brynhyfryd continue to be met and that any disruption to their residence is kept to an absolute minimum.”
Kirsty Williams, Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire said: “We have been fighting to keep good quality local health and social care services in Builth Wells for years now, and this is a really positive step towards achieving our goal.
"The plans look fantastic and the services that are planned for the new project will make a massive difference to local people. It will mean that treatment can be delivered closer to home and patients can stay closer to home, friends and family.”
Cllr Gary Price, and Plaid Cymru Candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire in the Welsh Assembly Election in 2011, said the public deserve to be congratulated for their campaigning for health services in the area.
He said: “The people of Builth Wells and surrounding community can give themselves a huge pat on the back for the long hard campaign that they have fought over many years, especially the people involved with BACH (Builth Against Closing Hospitals).
“This facility and its proposed location offer services that are relevantly close to the GP surgery and on the same site as the residential care home. It is important that residents who will access these services are fully informed and consulted throughout the design and planning process and I will be writing to officers within Powys County Council to seek a reassurance that this is carried out.
“It would be nice if similar facilities also provided throughout Brecon and Radnor in the future.”