Policy information sourced from Thurrock Core Strategy and Policies for Management of Development

CSTP11 – HEALTH PROVISION

Health Care Provision

The Council will work with partners to deliver:

  • A healthy, strong and vibrant sustainable community by ensuring the delivery of health care infrastructure within Thurrock through a tiered model for health care provision.
  • A significant reduction in health inequalities between different groups within the Borough, and between the Borough and the region, in line with national and regional NHS objectives.
  • Health care facilities that are located according to need, and which are accessible to all people in the Borough, including by public transport, cycling or walking.
  • Health care facilities that meet existing and future community needs, including those needs arising from the new housing and employment that will be developed in the Borough over the lifetime of the plan.
  • Improved access to General Practitioners within West Thurrock and Purfleet where an existing deficit has been identified.

Tier 3 – A Community Hospital – Offering High level Intermediate Services

  • The Council supports the development of a New Generation Community Hospital (NGCH) in Hogg Lane, Grays with an anticipated built completion date of late 2013. This will be the highest tier health care facility in Thurrock, and will be supported by secondary and tertiary care facilities outside the Borough.
  • The Council supports the provision of a wide range of health and social care services for local people through the NGCH. Services are anticipated to include a GP surgery, x-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, a minor injuries unit, primary care assessment and outpatient facilities.

Tier 2 - Health Centres with Community and Extended Services

The Council supports the development of Tier 2 health care infrastructure in Thurrock, with each facility providing a range of specialist health services for a population of approximately 30,000 people. They are anticipated to be delivered at the following locations:

  • Purfleet – Over the next ten years the population of Purfleet is expected to increase due to proposed housing developments. An increase in health care services will be provided to meet increasing needs in Purfleet as the area is developed. The level of these facilities and timing of construction will depend on the phasing of the proposed development.
  • Grays Town Centre – New GP-led health care facilities at the Equitable Access Centre. This service will be available in 2010 and will lead to a requirement for four additional Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) GP’s in 2010, and one further WTE GP by 2014.
  • Tilbury – Proposed new modern heath care facilities to address the deficit in provision in Tilbury following a strategic review and public engagement during 2009. It is anticipated that this will lead to a requirement for three additional WTE GP’s by 2012.
  • The Council will work with health partners to plan for additional facilities in Thurrock Urban area if need is identified from any future assessments.

Tier 1 – Local Service Providers in fit for purpose premises offering a range of services

The Council supports the provision of new and improved tier one services, particularly in areas where a deficiency is identified. There is currently a deficit in tier 1 services across the Borough that will be affected further by the increase in population and employment envisaged in the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Current figuresDeficitPlanned developments
GP’s36 GP practices
housed within
34 GP centres
and
7 Health
Centres
(79 GPs, which
is equal to 71.6
whole time
equivalent ( wte)
GPs)		Thurrock is
recognised as
being underdoctored by c.
20 wte GPs
when
compared to
the England
average.		Grays Equitable access centre =
5wte
Potential Tilbury development =
3 wte
Potential West Thurrock/Purfleet
= 4 wte
Succession planning scheme –
funding for new partners and
grants to support practice
mergers – 4wte
Dentist21 dental
practices
(Approx. 60
dentists)
193,992 units of
dental activity
9,847 units of
orthodontic
activity		PCT target:
66% of the
population with
access to NHS
dentistry.
(Thurrock
currently at
55%)		143,000 units of dental activity
including dental access centre to
be incorporated in new Equitable
Access Centre (Grays)
Increased orthodontic activity

Partnership Working

The Council and NHS South West Essex are committed to working closely with partners to respond to local population changes. NHS SWE will ensure good communication with partners and Thurrock’s local community to ensure that health care infrastructure development is responsive to patients’ needs.

Adult Social Care

  • The Council will support the development of adult social care facilities that allow people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, rather than providing more space in care homes and nursing homes.
  • Where alterations to residential property are required to allow people to retain independence and stay in their home, the Council will support them subject to the normal controls on design and layout of residential properties and protection of neighbouring amenity.
  • The Council will only support the development of specialist care facilities in small units, to provide facilities for members of the community who cannot be cared for at home. These will include facilities for specialist areas such as autism, profound physical and learning disabilities, where there is no local provision.
  • The Council will look to expand the provision of extra care housing and will be working with Housing colleagues to identify sites that can be developed as an alternative to long term residential care.

Private Sector Provision

The Council supports, in principle, the provision of hospice accommodation at a location to be set out in the Site Specific Allocations and Policies DPD. The Council will give consideration to allowing enabling development if it can be demonstrated that this is essentially required.

Developer Contributions

Any significant new developments that will have an adverse impact on the current accessibility and capacity of health care services will be required to contribute towards the community needs generated by the development and address any identified deficiencies in the locality that they generate or exacerbate.

Key Diagrams and Maps

Sites will be included in the Adopted Sites Specific Allocations and Policies DPD and identified on the Proposals Map.

For more information please see the Core Strategy and Policies for Management of Development