Terminus surgery plans rejected

Plans to convert The Terminus pub into a GP surgery and late-night chemists are set to be scrapped as the scheme does not represent value for money, according to the local NHS Trust.

This is despite the plans winning support from Hailsham Town Council whose councillors voted to support the scheme.

The NHS Trust believes it is not good value for money but has promised to look for an alternative site.

The Council believes that a new surgery is required to support the growing need for local services and infrastructure to support the increased population that has come about as a result of new housing developments. The council says the decision by the NHS Trust means the town's 20,000 + residents now have little choice over which doctor they can visit.

However, the NHS Trust said that the proposed new site is close to existing facilities near Vicarage Fields and that the need is for a GP surgery that supports residents in the new developments in the north-east of the town.

The Trust says that there is no support for the site from local clinicians and that it is too large for a single doctor and therefore is not financially viable at a time when resources are scarce and every penny needs to be spent wisely.