A state-of-the-art purpose-built health center remains without doctors despite a multimillion-dollar opening earlier this year.
Now a ward councilor thinks the Little Lever Health Center may not be open until next year.
Calls have been made for several years for the town to have a health center, with work finally starting in December 2019.
Little Lever Library moved downtown in February of this year.
Cllr Sean Hornby believes health services may not be operational until January or February of next year, which would mean almost a year since the Little Lever Library was relocated.
He says that the local community is “fast losing faith” and that “nothing is happening”.
Cllr Hornby added: “They haven’t even moved a piece of furniture, and there isn’t even dark glass.
“I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall and I’m trying to get some answers about what’s going on.
“It’s frustrating.”
Cllr Hornby says he must have a meeting at the end of this month to try to get some answers on when the issues will be resolved.
Cllr Sue Baines, Executive Cabinet Member for Welfare, says she shares Cllr Hornby’s frustration with Little Lever residents.
He explained that some of the delays were due to Bolton becoming part of the Integrated Care System as part of Greater Manchester, which has moved to a place-based neighborhood partnership model.
He added: “As a result, there have been strategic leadership changes and therefore Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust agreed to take over the main lease and sublet the premises to GPs before the library was officially opened.
“However, the NHS has been struggling to adjust to higher construction, equipment and service charge costs, which turned out to be higher than its original funding envelope.”
Cllr Baines says there has since been an ongoing negotiation between the council and the NHS, and between GP practices and the NHS at Little Lever, to determine how ‘additional’, ‘unavoidable’ and ‘unforeseen’ costs could be apportioned. fairly.
Cllr Baines explained that now all that remains is for the council to finalize the terms of the lease with the NHS.
She added: “These new facilities are a vast improvement on the current GP premise and as such are much needed by the residents of Little Lever.
“They have waited a long time for better facilities.
“Therefore, council officials will continue to move apace to secure a lease that allows the doctors to occupy the property as soon as possible without doing so at council expense.
“The GPs involved have been and continue to be fully compliant and are ready and eager to move into their new premise.”
Cllr Hornby says that one of the benefits is that it will be the first prefabricated municipal building to be built in recent times that is not a PFI.
Once complete, the center is expected to provide three GP surgeries and other medical support, including treatment of long-term conditions in the community.
The center replaces the city’s 40-year-old health center, which the former deemed unfit for use. Bolton NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The center was also built with environmentally friendly features, including solar panels, which are expected to be even more efficient.
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