Mark Hunter fights for urgent improvements to local health centre

11.06.10am GMT Wed 23rd Jan 2008

Local NHS Health Centre "unfit for purpose"

Last Friday (14th January) Cheadle MP Mark Hunter visited Cheadle Hulme Health Centre to see for himself the poor condition of the building and the shocking surroundings in which patients are being treated. He was appalled at what he saw and labelled the building as "literally, unfit for purpose". Mr Hunter had been called in by the GPs and staff based there who were keen to enlist his help in seeking improvements.

Doctors and support staff have been forced to put up with really poor working conditions, with several rooms - including doctor/patient consulting areas - without heat or light for several weeks. Rain water has leaked in through the roof, resulting in fused electrics which cannot currently be used. Mould is growing in some of the consulting rooms, and the entire health centre is in a generally very poor state of repair.

Speaking after his visit, Mr Hunter said "I was absolutely horrified to see the state Cheadle Hulme Health Centre is in. It is utterly unacceptable that doctors are having to see patients in damp rooms with no proper lighting or heating. I have spoken to Richard Popplewell, the Chief Executive of the Primary Care Trust about the situation already and urged upon him the need for urgent attention to these problems."

Mr Hunter went on to say "I was genuinely shocked at what I saw; the conditions people are working in here are more reminiscent of the third world. There is no reason people should be expected to put up with health facilities in such an awful state of disrepair - I will do everything in my power to make sure that repairs to Cheadle Hulme Health Centre are made an urgent priority of the PCT."