Sandwell Hospital buildings face demolition to relocate West Bromwich GP practice
Sandwell Hospital buildings could be demolished as part of a masterplan to relocate a town centre GP practice.
Bosses at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust want to demolish buildings at Sandwell Hospital.
They want to build a new three-storey medical centre on the car park in Lyndon Road.
The facility would be known as Carters Green Medical Centre – and would replace the existing practice in West Bromwich High Street.
It would also include a pharmacy being built on the hospital’s existing Lower Lyndon car park.
A design and access statement, submitted with the plans, states: “The Carters Green Medical centre development is being undertaken by the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust on part of the Sandwell General Hospital site.
“The new facility will be operated by Your Health Partnership and replaces the practices existing premises.
"The practice is currently located in a four-storey Victorian property on the High Street in West Bromwich.
"The premises do not meet current NHS guidelines and are no longer fit for purpose.
“Our proposal for the new Carters Green Medical Centre is a three-storey building to be built on part of the Lower Lydon car park at the Sandwell General Hospital site.
“There are currently two portacabins on the site, occupied by Occupational Health and the Speech and language Therapy unit (SALT).
"Both of these will be demolished and the space used to reprovide parking spaces for hospital patients and visitors.”
It added: “The proposed development will create a distinctive building that forms a gateway to Sandwell General Hospital and offers a series of services that will benefit local residents.
“The proposals will enhance the existing network of health care facilities, are well designed in keeping with their surroundings, are located with other health care services and are accessible to the community it is intended to serve.”
Toby Lewis, chief executive of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are really pleased to have submitted planning application for the GP practice which will serve residents of central West Bromwich.
“As planned many years ago, and refreshed after consultation with the existing registered population, the new service will be on the Sandwell Hospital site, and will work in close coordination with diagnostic and other specialist services.
“This is very much about bringing the future of NHS care integration to the borough. We look forward to hearing if the plans can proceed before Easter 2019.”
A decision on the application is expected in the coming months.
