St Austell Healthcare Invites Patients to Share Views on Proposed Relocation of Services
The practice has identified several significant challenges with continuing to deliver services from the current sites, which are no longer suitable for providing safe, effective, and modern healthcare.
Why Change Is Needed
Both Park Medical Centre and Carlyon Road Health Hub face long-standing issues, including:
- Poor accessibility, with buildings not meeting current accessibility standards. Patients and visitors have regularly raised concerns about the difficulty of accessing the surgeries.
- Cramped consultation rooms, making it difficult for staff to work safely and effectively while meeting the growing needs of the community.
- Uncomfortable and unsuitable staff working conditions, particularly for administrative teams working on upper floors with poor ventilation and heating — extremely hot in the summer and very cold in winter.
- 15% increase in population in St Austell in the next 10 years. However, there is no scope for expansion, as the current sites cannot be extended or redesigned to create the clinical space required for modern, high-quality care.
Despite thoroughly exploring other options, these problems cannot be resolved within the existing buildings. The lack of clinical space is increasingly limiting the ability to deliver all the multi-disciplinary team services that patients now need.
Proposal – Relocation to Carlyon House
The practice is proposing to relocate services to Carlyon House, which has the potential to be redeveloped into a modern healthcare facility. This move would significantly improve patient care and experience.
Dr James McClure, GP Partner at St Austell Healthcare, explained:
“Moving to Carlyon House will bring significant benefits, including:
- More available appointments, thanks to increased clinical space, helping to reduce waiting times for patients.
- A modern, fully compliant healthcare environment that meets current standards for accessibility and safety.
- Larger, better-equipped consultation rooms, giving our clinicians and staff the space they need to deliver high-quality care.
- Opportunities to expand services and meet the growing healthcare needs of our community.
- The ability to co-locate with other community services, supporting more joined-up care for our patients.”
No Immediate Changes
The proposed closure of Park Medical Centre would not happen for several years, and no changes will take place before 2027.
Dr McClure added:
“We understand that change can be difficult, and we are committed to listening to our patients and addressing concerns wherever possible. Your feedback will be vital in shaping the future of services and planning how we can best support you through this transition.”
Have Your Say
To ensure the local community is fully involved in the decision-making process, St Austell Healthcare is launching a patient engagement programme.
Public Meetings will be held:
Date: 17 November 2025, 2pm -4pm
Location: St Austell Community Hub (Age UK Cornwall), Bodmin Road, St Austell, PL25 5AE
Date: 20 November 2025, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Location: Light & Life Centre, Brunel Business Park, The Sidings, St Austell, PL25 4TJ
GP Partners and members of the Patient Participation Group (PPG) will be present to explain the proposal and answer questions.
A Patient Survey will run from 25 October 2025 and 30 November 2025. Paper copies will be available at all St Austell Healthcare surgery sites and at the public meeting. The survey will also be available online via a link on the practice website: https://forms.office.com/e/CgmubmLn78
Next Steps
The views gathered through the consultation process will play a vital role in shaping the final decision. The practice is committed to open communication throughout the process and will report back to patients on what was heard and how it influenced future plans.
Contact Information
For more information, please visit the practice website or contact St Austell Healthcare directly:
- Website: https://staustellhealthcare.nhs.uk/
- Email: letters.sahc@nhs.net
- Phone: 01726 75555