St Martins villagers will be disadvantaged by the loss of their doctors surgery, a decision that dictates they will have to travel to Chirk Doctors’ Surgery with health concerns. This is catastrophic, practically and financially, ignoring the potential anxiety for those who have mobility and/or mental health concerns.

Surely the expansion of the village enhances the point of developing the St Martins Surgery not closing it.

The ‘Health Technical Memoranda’ who give advice and guidance on the design, installation and operation of specialist healthcare buildings state that since healthcare facilities are often located within existing communities, they contribute to health in ways that go beyond their clinical function, making reference to the importance of core social and healthcare services. They refer to improving accessibility respecting users’ needs, the importance of providing a social local community location, a necessity for some individuals in times of need. Importantly for St Martins villagers, they refer to filling gaps that may be present in the health-care and social economy whilst providing opportunities to improve the skills of local people.

Vitally, with our mind-set increasingly associated with global warming, the rescue of existing buildings needs to be a priority and the support of locally accessed facilities rather than increasing any transport necessities. The guiding principles of the HTM refer to the ‘Health Building Notes’ stating that surgeries core principles are safe secure, physically accessible and welcoming the communities they serve, whilst encouraging adequate walking and cycling networks.

What do the residents of Chirk think about this potential development? We understand that the funding figures are based on average numbers of cross border registration and secondary care per-capita in England and Wales. Therefore, how much of that £5.8m is related to the St. Martins community? Why can’t that money be used to upgrade the existing facilities rather than closing them? Has the increase in St Martin’s population been taken into account?

Has NHS Shropshire changed its commissioning specifications? Does it approve of this closure? Does it recognise the potential adverse health impact on the community and the potential future healthcare cost implications?

If asked, it is extremely unlikely that the villagers of St Martins would vote to close the surgery, which poses a pressing question, are we living in a democracy?

All this information has been discussed with Shropshire councillor, Steve Davenport.

J.T. Ellis,

via email.