New Gwent health centre to house two GP surgeries

A new Brynmawr Resource Centre will, subject to approval by the Welsh Government, bring together two GP practices under one roof, along with a range of other services and clinics currently provided in different venues in and around the town.

The centre has for several years been a key part of plans to revitalise primary care provision across Blaenau Gwent, but identifying and acquiring a suitable site has taken longer than expected.

A site close to Blaen-y-Cwm primary school in Blaenafon Road has now been identified and negotiations for its sale are taking place.

The aim is to relocate the Blaen-y-Cwm and Aparajita practices on one site, which would solve long-running problems that both have had at their current bases, particularly in terms of lack of space for consultations, parking and expansion.

At Blaen-y-Cwm, GPs have to hold staggered clinics and share rooms to cope with the volume of patients. The waiting area is too small and parking is limited.

Despite expanding almost 20 years ago, the Aparajita practice building is hampered by a lack of clinical, treatment and storage rooms. Its waiting roomis also not large enough, and it does not have its own car park.

The proposed new centre would also host community dental services, podiatry, diabetic retinopathy screening, mental health counselling, a substance misuse service, young people’s sexual health clinics, and midwifery-led ante-natal clinics.

Judith Paget, Aneurin Bevan Health Board’s chief operating officer, said that subject to approval, building work is expected to begin in July next year, with the centre opening in August 2015.

“The need in terms of these two practices is considerable, and providing a new resource centre is the right thing to do,” she said.

The centre will be built through a third party developer and rented back by the health board. The cost is expected to be close to £82,000 a year.