THREE GP surgeries in Trowbridge are planning to merge to create a Trowbridge Health Centre, which should open next year.

Adcroft, Bradford Road and Widbrook practices are to make the move in the hope of improving primary care services for patients in the town.

The news was confirmed by senior partners at the surgeries who are in the final stages of buying the land behind the Adcroft Surgery from NHS property services, which is expected to be completed within the next week.

Dr Toby Cookson, GP partner at Bradford Road Medical Centre, said once the contracts have been signed officially, building work could start in a couple of weeks. The direction for primary care is that it is upsizing and it is going on all over the country,” he said.

“It is because there is a recruitment crisis and we are not recruiting the clinicians we need. We are also not able to recruit the specialised clinicians we have been asked to do and so therefore cannot provide that specialised care in primary care.

“We are anticipating it will improve the service provisions the patients of Trowbridge have in their locality.”

The plans, which have been in the pipeline for nearly 10 years, would direct primary care in Trowbridge into one place.

Widbrook surgery, which is due to be re-inspected by the Care Quality Commission following its inadequate rating, would remain open while Adcroft would see its current premises extended.

Dr Cookson added: “There has been lots of delays in progressing the plans around the reorganisations of the NHS. The whole process does move very slowly and we are now getting to the exciting end of it."

“At Bradford Road, we work out of a house and there are lots of problems with people unable to climb the stairs. We’ve had to think how can we provide a level of service to patients which they should be getting so that is why moving to a new premises will sort that out as it is brining all of our primary care services into the 21st century.

“We will have the advantage of a large purpose-built premises. The bigger organisation will enable us to increase our skill mix of clinicians and provide a robust, resilient primary care service for our patients into the future.”

It is anticipated that The Building should take 54 weeks, meaning the new building could with doors opening next open its doors in June next year. The work involved would extend and refurbish the existing Adcroft surgery and created a new main entrance from Seymour Road.