Many of you will have seen the story on the front page of the Express and Star on Friday April 1^st “Surgeries Putting Patients at Risk”.

One of the two surgeries named in a report by Inspectors was New Invention Health Centre in Cannock Rd. Willenhall.

To be fair the criticism was levelled at issues affected by the age and suitability of the building itself which let this particular practice down. It was rated good for its effectiveness, level of caring, responsiveness and leadership. The building goes back many years and was originally a pair of semi detached houses.

Regular readers of Focus will know that Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires has campaigned to get new Doctors established at the practice and has been pressing the NHS estates people to sort out the land ownership problems so that a new health centre can be built on the site.

New Doctors were appointed earlier this year but the issue of the building and its future remains unresolved. Planning permission was granted a few years back for a state of the art Health Centre on land next to the current building. The 2008 financial crisis coincided with the Doctors at that time trying to pull together funding packages for the development of the new Health Centre.

All this has come at a time when NHS funding is being subjected to close scrutiny by Government as they relentlessly pursue their harsh austerity measures. “Many people have told us how much they regret falling for the Conservative hard sell tactics at last year’s General Election” said Cllr Ian Shires. “They have come to realise right here on their own doorsteps the harsh reality of having a majority Tory Government at West Minister supported by their Tory counterparts on Walsall Council.”

Cllr Shires is seeking further talks with NHS partners to press for action to be taken in providing the state of the art Health Centre the people of New Invention and Short Heath rightfully expect and deserve.