Burnham Surgery, alongside NHS watchdog Healthwatch Essex, has released a questionnaire to gather patients' views.

The questionnaire is available now from the current Burnham surgery practice or on the Healthwatch Essex website. 

The consultation is set to close in February 2024.

In a statement on their website, Healthwatch Essex said: "We are working with Burnham Surgery to gather patient feedback on all aspects of the services they provide. The surgery would like to hear from their patients via this survey, to enable the partners to decide on their next steps in sustaining medical provision in the area.

"The surgery is committed to providing the best services to their patients and to continuing to support the training and development of clinicians for the future. The current premises do not meet guidelines and it is proposed that a new building in a new location be used to accommodate all health services for Burnham and the surrounding areas."

This consultation comes off the back of a public statement Burnham Surgery made last week, in which it detailed that the surgery had the intention to move since 2017.

They said: "The partners at the Burnham Surgery are determined to provide the best services to their patients and to continue to support the training and development of clinicians for the future.

"The current surgery premises do not meet current guidelines and have inadequate space and facilities for the surgery to meet NHS contract requirements.

"The cost of redesigning the current building is c. £5 million excluding VAT, plus the cost of rehousing the surgery whilst the work is carried out."

It added: "A redesign on the current site will not meet future requirements, it will reduce the ability to host a full range of services to patients and to recruit new staff.

"A new building, in a new location, will accommodate all health services for Burnham and the surrounding area, and allow the disposal of the Burnham Clinic and the Burnham Surgery. Services can be continued from the existing premises while the new build is undertaken resulting in minimal disruption to services.

"Partnership with a developer keen to take on a 3PD role will make a new building financially viable."

Burnham Surgery also detailed that a move to a suitable new building would allow the practice to provide primary care services for up to 14,000 patients. 

This would be a 4,500 patient increase to what the current premises offers.

However, the news that relocation may involve a "partnership with a developer" is not without controversy. 

The public meeting in the Summer was the first time residents expressed their views on the surgery relocation (Photo Credit: Nick Skeens)

In August 2023, Town Mayor Duncan Rawlinson called a public meeting after an email including an extract from an estate options appraisal was leaked on social media and caused local uproar. 

The email included excerpts from the appraisal issued by the ICB which stated: "An appraisal of options to enhance primary care provision in Burnham has been undertaken. The assessment concluded that a new build surgery at Burnham Waters offers the best solution."

Coined by a member of the public as Burnham "Waters-gate", hundreds of members of the community gathered to voice their rejection of a possible move to the new development.

Karen, one member of the Burnham 'Save Our Surgery' action group, told Nub News: "In Burnham, we badly need more support for the elderly population.

"We're not opposed to the surgery moving, just not so it's inaccessible to most of the town's population without a car."

Nub News reached out to Burnham Surgery, who told us that there is no definitive plan to move to Burnham Waters at this stage.

Healthwatch also responded to this saying: "As far as we have been informed, there is no definite plan to relocate to the Burnham Waters site. This is an option, but the purpose of the survey and engagement is to garner patient feedback so that the surgery team can assess the options open to them and make an informed decision about how to move forward. We are not aware of any existing construction work."

To find out how to fill out the questionnaire, visit the Healthwatch Essex website, or ask at Burnham Surgery.

To find out more about the 'Burnham Save Our Surgery' action group, you can email: [email protected]