A Bridgwater doctors’ surgery which closed last summer could be reopened as a “health and well-being hub” as part of plans being contemplated by health bosses.

The Victoria Park Medical Centre in Bridgwater shut its doors in August 2021, with the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) arguing that staff shortages meant the site could no longer provide a safe service to patients.

The CCG consulted with local residents and former patients over the summer, asking the public for their views on how health services could be better provided in this part of Bridgwater.

Three options have now emerged for the building’s future, with a final decision expected to be taken later in the year.

Michael Bainbridge, the CCG’s associate director of primary care and community care, provided an update at a virtual meeting of the CCG’s primary care commissioning committee on Thursday morning (March 10).

He said the CCG had engaged extensively with local residents, community organisations and Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger to address issues in the Victoria ward – including “high levels of deprivation” and a higher-than-average number of young families and people with long-term health conditions.

From the initial consultation, three options for the site have emerged:

A health and well-being hub, providing a number of primary care services, including diabetes diagnoses and physiotherapy sessions.

A community centre providing a range of health and community services, including support for children and young families as well as older people.

Reinstating the building as a conventional GP surgery.

Mr Bainbridge said: “We will be carrying out further engagement on these options in the immediate future, with a view to making a final decision on the future pattern of services as quickly as possible with a view to arranging those services.”

Judith Goodchild, who chairs Healthwatch Somerset, said a decision was needed quickly to ensure that people did not have to travel long distances to access local health services.

She said: “It’s quite an isolated area – there’s no public transport, and people don’t always have access to a car.

"The sooner we get a decision on this, it will ease the minds of the local residents.”

Mr Bainbridge replied: “We can look at community transport within this – walking from here to another practice is quite a walk.”

Sir David Heath, who chairs the committee, said it was essential that this site continue to deliver the health services most required by local residents.

The former MP for Somerton and Frome said: “The engagement has been very thorough – it’s very important that the local community has been involved with the decision-making process.

“I’m glad the ‘do nothing’ option has been discarded – we want to continue to provide health services on that site.”

The CCG is expected to announce further details surrounding the next round of public consultation in the coming weeks.