From a donkey field to a modern health centre

AS the older inhabitants of Thame will tell you, what is now the health centre in East Street, was once a field of donkeys. Now, 40 years after it was officially opened by Sir Keith Joseph, the Health Minister at the time, a completely refurbished centre, fit for the modern-day Thame, has been relaunched.

The moment the red ribbon is cut by the Mayor, Peter Lambert

Over the past 12 months, The Rycote Practice and Trinity Health have been working together to redevelop and refurbish Thame Health Centre. This work is now nearly complete and the new surgery was officially opened by the Mayor, Peter Lambert, on Thursday, March 20. As well as the refurbishment of all 20 existing consulting rooms, there are four new consulting rooms, new reception desks for each practice with disability access, new shared waiting areas, additional washroom facilities and a new staff room.

Before the Mayor cut a big, red ribbon to declare the centre officially open, Dr Weir of Trinity Health said: “We would like to thank everyone for their patience during the building work. It has been a challenge to continue to run a full service while walls have been removed and floors have been ripped up. It took longer than we had hoped but thanks to your help we have managed it. We are delighted to see so many people join us to celebrate the biggest redevelopment to the health centre in over 15 years.”

Dr Charles Chubb of The Rycote Practice added: “Thank you to staff and patients for putting up with everything from toilets being out of action to reception desks disappearing overnight! We are very grateful to Paul Wapshare and the construction team for all the work they did overnight and at the weekends to keep disruption to a minimum. It has all been worth it – the results are fantastic. I am very proud to work in the newly redeveloped Thame Health Centre.”

Mr Andy Jinman, who is the Chair of the Rycote Participation Patient Group (PPG) said: “This redevelopment has been possible thanks to grants from NHS England (Then Bucks PCT), the Oxford Deanery (the organisation that organises GP training) and significant investment from the GP partners – in total, nearly a quarter of a million pounds have been invested in improving facilities for the local community.”

Sandra Davidson, who chairs the Trinity Health PPG, added: “It is fantastic that over 15,000 patients, registered at the two practices at the Thame Health Centre, will be able to enjoy healthcare facilities fit for the 21st century. We are delighted that such an important facility for Thame was opened by its Mayor, Peter Lambert”.

Peter himself added: “I would like to add my congratulations to the staff and building team for managing to complete a project of this size whilst maintaining two, fully operational surgeries throughout. Most importantly, on behalf of Trinity Health and The Rycote Practice, I would like to thank all the patients for their patience. The fact that you took the noise and dust and disruption in your stride has made it possible for such a large project to be undertaken at all.

“It is a big achievement and this is reflected in some big numbers involved in the redevelopment:
£250,000 + expenditure
12 months in the planning
12 months of construction work
50+ room moves to manage to keep all services running throughout
Thousands of metres of pipe work and cable to provide a new heating system and new data network, etc etc.

“But it is not just about the building work… there are big numbers involved in providing the healthcare services that residents in Thame enjoy week-in and week-out:

15,000+ patients
80,000+ appointments a year
10,000+ prescriptions a year
Nearly 20,000 telephone calls from GPs and nurses to you – not to mention the number of calls you make to the two practices!”

Also in attendance was Sue Brook who is a patient at Rycote Practice. She was present at the original opening back in 1973. Sue recalled: “The opening event in 1973 was a very formal affair and was attended by about 50 people. Over the years I have watched health services in Thame evolve, and have seen the now Senior GPs progress their careers right from when they started as junior doctors.

The Mayor concluded: “To provide the level of service that Thame requires, the town needs first class healthcare facilities, and this redevelopment is a huge boost for the people of Thame and the surrounding area.”