Newton Mearns health centre calls
At this week's meeting of the
community council the seeds of a
campaign were sown as members
asked elected representatives to
canvas the local council.
The general
feeling from the meeting
claimed it is remiss of the local
health board in failing to make
adequate provision for the Newton
Mearns area.
Community council chairman
David Jesner said: "It's unbelievable
for a relatively wealthy community
of this size to be deprived
by the lack of foresight of the
health board of a suitable medical
facility".
Mearns already has three doctors
surgeries spread across the
G77 area, in Maple Avenue, Mearns
Road and Harvie Avenue — but
no dedicated facility run by the
Greater Glasgow and Clyde
healthcare partnership.
It's an issue that's often been
raised in the past, and the fresh
calls are timely for local politicians
to pounce upon in the run-up to
this year's general election.
But a spokesman for East
Renfrewshire Council told The
Extra that any such idea would
have to be a joint-run centre
between the GGCHCP and the
council.
He added: "The Barrhead
health centre is a joint production.
"The ERC view is that there is
an adequate provision of health
facilities already in Newton
Mearns and broadly across the
Eastwood side of the local authority
area.
"If a business case could be
stood up, then obviously we would
look at what is being proposed, but
that is a long process.
"There'd also be the question of
where such health centre would be
sited and how, in the present economic
climate, one would be funded."
There is an additional medical
facility proposed for Newton
Mearns—within the blueprint for
the new Greenlaw Village complex
near the M77 junction four.
An 8,000sq foot doctors' surgery
is proposed to overlook Stewarton
Road and under the plans, there'd
also be provision for an optician
and dentist.