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Six general practitioners wish to practise full-time from the
Centre and one part-time. The full range of local authority
services is envisaged and in addition consideration is being
given to basing social workers at the centre so that full
integration with local authority staff i.e., health visitors,
midwives, district nurses and social workers, will be possible.
Vista Drive
Health Centre
The site for the Vista Drive Health Centre has been
reserved for some twenty years although the land is not in the
Council's possession and is not likely to be until the route of
the new M. 11 is decided. Three general practitioners practise
in the area and all have expressed a wish to enter a Health
Centre full-time. It may take some time to bring this project to
the planning stage.
Goodmayes
Lane Health
Centre
Doctors practising in the neighbourhood of the proposed
Goodmayes Lane Health Centre were unable, because of the
distribution of their patients, to give undertakings that the;
would close down their other surgeries and practise full-time
from the Health Centre. The Ministry of Health is not in favour
of propagating the branch surgery system in urban areas and
discouraged the idea of a Health Centre on this site. The project
has therefore been abandoned but the situation for doctors
in the area is not so poor as it seemed at one stage, the
Council being in the process of negotiating the purchase of
land near Goodmayes Railway Goods Yards. Part of the land In
question will be available for a Health Centre and even at this
early stage 7 general practitioners have expressed a strong
interest in practising from such a Health Centre.
Health Centre
on Goodmayes
Railway land
Barley Lane
Health Centre
The site in Barley Lane is one which had been reserved
for Health Centre development for many years but exploration
of the attitudes of doctors in the area has been discouraging.
The site is such that it is not suitable for exclusive surgery
premises for doctors with practices in the district. It seems
likely that the project will have to be abandoned.
Future
Developments
The Council having expressed itself in favour of the
principle of health centres, future development depends on
three factors, namely money, the attitude of general practitioners
and the availability of land.
Financing
Finance will continue to remain uncertain for many years
although new procedures for processing schemes at the
Ministry of Health will enable planning to progress in a more
certain way. The scheme submissions for other health projects
are required to be at the Ministry in the November preceding
the year in which loan sanction is expected to be sought, but
in the case of health centres schemes may be submitted at any