GP surgery partially moves into hospital

A GP surgery has begun treating patients from a hospital building, amid a row over spending on the project.

Shipston Medical Centre has begun operating from 11 consultation rooms at Ellen Badger Hospital under a 30-year-lease with South Warwickshire's NHS trust.

Routine GP and nurse appointments will primarily take place at the hospital, while more urgent needs will be managed at the existing medical centre nearby.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) said the arrangement would strengthen working between GP, community and hospital services, allowing "much needed improvements" at the medical centre's current building.

The split-site model was criticised by councillors while scrutinising what happened to the £518,200 given in council funding in 2023.

The money was intended to plug a funding gap to enable a new GP surgery to open at Ellen Badger Hospital.

But Reform UK councillor Sarah Whalley-Hoggins was among those who told a council meeting in January that residents were instead getting "an overspill for the existing practice" rather than a brand new surgery.

The BBC has asked SWFT whether it has responded to councillors' questions over the intended purpose of the money.

A spokesperson said previous reporting "wasn't reflective of the situation" and it was the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board that applied for the funding, not the trust.

Announcing the move last week, chief strategy officer Sophie Gilkes said the partnership would bring care closer to where people live.

"This partnership with Shipston Medical Centre reflects our shared commitment to delivering health services that are co-ordinated and centred around the needs of local people," Gilkes said.

Dr Paul Daniel, a senior GP partner at the centre, added: "Having been constrained by space for many years, the additional clinical rooms for Shipston Medical Centre at Ellen Badger Hospital allows increased capacity for services.

"The whole team are excited by the ability to offer care from this modern, purpose-built facility."

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