Health chiefs have warned that delays by NHS England mean that funding to expand services in Radstock and Bath could be lost.

The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) submitted bids in 2016 to relocate Radstock’s Hope House Surgery on Waterloo Road with a brand new, purpose-built modern GP premises, and to extend Bath’s Oldfield Park surgery.

NHS England will cover up to two-thirds of the costs, but the funding has not yet been given a final sign-off. Without it, the CCG may have to go back to the drawing board.

Lay member, Katie Hall, told a CCG meeting last week: “I’m really concerned about the way we’ve been treated by NHS England, and the way Hope House has been treated.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable the way this has been dealt with – it’s a waste of time, energy and money that should be spent on patients. It’s not good enough.”

Senior Commissioning Manager, James Childs-Evans, said there had been no consistency in who the CCG had been dealing with at NHS England, so they had had to make the case afresh each time. He raised concern that time may be running out, adding: “The money allocated could be spent elsewhere.”

Hope House Surgery’s planning application, which said the GPs suffer from a “chronic lack of space” was approved last August – a move said to be necessary to access £3.6 million in NHS funding.

The CCG said the amount of funding requested from NHS England for the two projects was commercially sensitive, but the body will pay up to two-thirds of the costs. 

Assessing the proposals for Hope House, B&NES Council planning officers said: “If this project does not go ahead, the NHS funding is likely be lost – the building must be complete by early 2019 to meet requirements – and it is likely that the doctor’s practice will have to move out of Radstock as the current building cannot meet the needs of a growing population with complex health needs.”

A B&NES CCG spokesperson said: “If the schemes do not go ahead, we will need to revisit and redevelop our strategy for primary care to ensure we can respond to the current and future needs of our population.”

The primary care strategy says the new Hope House surgery is expected to be completed by 2020.

Debra Elliott, the director of commissioning at NHS England South West said: “As with any developments funded from public funding, there is due process to follow in terms of the submission of plans and business cases to ensure plans are robust and public money is well spent.

“The process that these developments has been required to follow the same as any other development scheme.”

Stephen Sumner, LDR