IT has been announced by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) that following a proposed new development relating to the Malvern Health Centre and Court Road Surgery, a public consultation exercise will be held at Priory Lodge Hall on Monday (March 17) at 2.30pm and 6.30pm.

Also stated by the South Worc-estershire NHS, in a publication entitled Improving GP and Comm-unity Services in Malvern, is that the above proposal is a separate development from the proposed relocation of the Avenue Road Surgery.

With reference to the NHS PCT (Health Map) for 2002-3, specifically the inset map for Great Malvern, it is clear that if the above proposals go ahead there will be no remaining NHS GP surgeries left in the town centre.

This is undoubtedly a matter for public debate and is causing considerable anxiety, particularly among those NHS patients who are non-car owners and as "walking sick" receive a first class accessible service from both the surgeries mentioned above as at present located.

One is prompted to ask why was there no prior consultation in the Avenue Road case by the PCT?

Now that, regrettably, we learn "that it would be unlikely that any firm approval would be obtained to a start on site (i.e. Seaford Court) with public capital for this new resource centre in the very near future". Perhaps the PCT should consider an expansion of the facilities available at the Malvern Community Hospital, Lansdowne Crescent. A Primary Care Centre and Emergency General Practice already exists at this location.

P LLOYD, Albert Road South, Great Malvern.