Health A DECISION on whether to go ahead with plans to build a multi-million pound health centre in Shefford will be made when the NHS Bedfordshire trust board meets on Wednesday. NHS Bedfordshire held a three-month public consultation on the proposals,

Health

A DECISION on whether to go ahead with plans to build a multi-million pound health centre in Shefford will be made when the NHS Bedfordshire trust board meets on Wednesday.

NHS Bedfordshire held a three-month public consultation on the proposals, during which time it wrote to the households of all the patients of Dr Stephen Cakebread nd partners at the current Shefford Health Centre and held two public meetings.

Since the formal consultation closed on January 25, the trust board has been considering local residents' views and will announce its decision at its meeting, which will be held in public on Wednesday at Shefford Methodist Church, in the High Street, at 1pm.

Andrew Morgan, chief executive of NHS Bedfordshire, said: "This is an important proposal for patients in Shefford and the surrounding villages.

"Public support for these proposals has been very positive and this was evident at the two public meetings we held as part of our public consultation."

"Members of the public are invited to attend the trust board meeting to hear its discussions and the outcome on whether plans to develop the health centre will go ahead."

If the proposals get the green light and if the planning processes go through smoothly, the new medical centre could be seeing its first patients by 2010/11. For more information on the public trust board meeting please contact 01234 795789.