Support in principle from the First Minister for what he described as an "imaginative, creative and effective" set of proposals for new health and wellbeing facility in Newtown has been welcomed by local Member of the Welsh Parliament, Russell George MS.
The Member for the Senedd for Montgomeryshire called on the First Minister to join him in supporting proposals from Powys Teaching Health Board and Powys County Council which have recently been submitted to the Welsh Government for its consideration.
After raising the issue with the First Minister during First Minister's Questions this week (1st December 2020), Mr George said:
“Improving health services in Montgomeryshire continues to be a priority for me. For some time, I have been raising the need for a new health and wellbeing facility in our area so I welcome the First Minister's support in principle for the proposals for a new facility in Newtown.
"If the Welsh Government approves the proposals, we could see a cutting edge, state of the art health and care facility in Newtown, which would offer more services locally and bring the latest technology and training to Mid Wales. The new facility would also improve health and wellbeing services across North Powys, with enhanced health checks and appointments being offered locally, rather than having to travel out of county."
The new centre would work with the current network of community hospitals in Machynlleth, Llanidloes and Welshpool and district general hospitals around our borders to ensure residents receive the right treatment much closer to home. It would also ensure that there are more integrated health plans in place across Mid Wales, increasing the focus on early prevention, and increasing the number services which we are able to access locally.
Mr George added:
“For me, like many others, I continue to be concerned that we are unable to attract GPs and other health professionals to take up posts in Mid Wales. My hope is that even before this facility is built, the proposals will attract more health professionals to move to our area.
“The fact that the Health Board and County Council has recently submitted what the First Minister described as a set of "imaginative, creative and effective" set of proposals is a massive step forward in the campaign for improved health facilities in our area. While the planning and building of the project will take some years, in the meantime, we must ensure that current GP and hospital services are supported and strengthened.
"I will continue to lobby for improvements to support existing health services in our area.”
