Secretary of State for Health and Social Care visits Leighton Buzzard to discuss expansion of services

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care visited Leighton Buzzard to discuss the expansion of health services in the town.

Yesterday (March 30), the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP visited Leighton Road Surgery, Grovebury Road, to talk to general practice staff and the chair of the patient participation group about the area's future. MP for South West Bedfordshire, Andrew Selous, was also in attendance, having previously revealed that land off Vandyke Road has the potential to bring "an additional pot of money to the table" for health facilities.

Mr Selous said: "This [the expansion of health services] is being enabled by the newfound ability to release value from the four acres of land off Vandyke Road owned by the Department for Health and Social Care. It was only earlier this month that a way was found to unlock the value of this land which has been covenanted for health purposes since 1988."

The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, Integrated Care Board (BLMK) is now several weeks into work – scoping what will be possible – along with colleagues from the East London Foundation Trust (the local mental health trust) which also owns land in the town.

Mr Selous added: "Some of which [the land] is not best suited for current provision and could also be used to provide additional capital funding for more appropriate premises."

In addition to meeting staff and the chair of the patient participation group, the Secretary of State had discussions with the Chair and Chief Executive of BLMK, with Dr John Henderson, the co-chair of the primary care network in the town, and Dr Mohit Venkataram, the senior partner of Leighton Road Surgery.

Mr Selous concluded: “I’m hugely grateful to the Secretary of State for coming to Leighton Buzzard today. He knows that we have an urgent need for additional capacity in the town and to bring hospital services into it. I also made sure that he and BLMK are aware of the need for health services to be in fully accessible locations for everyone in the town.”

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