The Thanet Community Health Hub

We have looked carefully at what services local people in Thanet need and continue to welcome your thoughts on the plans. We want to hear from you and what you have to say will make a difference. While a lot of the space is catered for in these plans, there is additional space in the building on other floors, which we could expand into.

It is your health and wellbeing hub, so what matters to you is very important. We need to know what you think of the plans and if you have any other ideas or concerns.

The building is at the heart of Thanet, near to Westwood Cross shopping centre. It is on a bus route and accessible by car or on foot. The building would mean we could move existing health and wellbeing services from premises where there is poor disabled access. The site is less than a mile from where St Peter’s GP Surgery is and the hub would help them expand and offer more services.

That is still to be decided. We have heard people’s concerns about congestion, so we are exploring scheduling appointments to avoid school pick-up and drop-off times.

Part of the hub will be used by St Peter’s Surgery, to offer a service to more local residents. Separate to the GP surgery, the aim is for the hub to provide capacity to develop same day access to general practice.

The current building has limitations and does not meet regulatory requirements. Additionally, the lease expires in August 2026 and the landlords do not wish to renew it. After reviewing all options, including extending the current site, using existing buildings and a new build, the former university run building was selected. It will form part of an integrated community health hub.

The last day that the Oaklands Avenue site will be open is Friday, 31 October. The first day St Peter’s Surgery patients will be seen at the Thanet Community Health Hub is Monday, 3 November.

Current patients will remain registered and their details will transfer automatically.  Patients will remain with their current GP. A recruitment drive is underway for more GPs, with interviews planned.

Online services will improve and expand. Electronic prescribing will continue as it currently operates. The telephone number for St Peter’s Surgery will remain the same.

Yes, patient choice still remains. Patients will be made aware that waits for their chosen hospital may be longer.

This is something we could consider in later phases. It is noted that My Dentist is planning a new surgery nearby, at the Westwood Cross retail park.

There will be a phased opening with the first patients welcomed at the Community Diagnostic Centre in October. St Peter's Surgery and community services provided by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust will move in November. MRI will open in March 2026. Patients will be kept informed of changes.

Yes, we intend to have health promotion services at the hub, which would help people to lead a healthier lifestyle, such as giving up smoking and losing weight. We want to be more proactive in preventing health issues. There will also be support with mental health.

There are 59 parking spaces, including disabled bays and EV charging, plus drop off points and cycle spaces.

Yes, discussions are ongoing with Stagecoach and Thanet District Council to explore route and stop adjustments

Clinical appointments may be phased to avoid peak times.

The plans are for 10 consultations or examination rooms, two counselling rooms, two treatment rooms, plus eight rooms for community services and six rooms for the community diagnostic centres on the ground floor. There will be additional clinical space on the first floor and the second floor will be for administrative services.

At the moment, we are exploring moving some community services from three locations. These are:

• Newington Road, Ramsgate
• Broadstairs Health Centre
• College Road Clinic, Margate.

Our vision is to bring community services, such as our community nurses, podiatry, cardiac and respiratory teams, under one roof. We won’t necessarily move all the services from these bases – that is still to be decided and that’s why we want to hear from you.

By bringing these services together with general practice and diagnostics, we hope to improve the way the services work together and provide a more holistic approach to patient care, especially for people with complex needs.

As well as increased capacity, better health outcomes and reduced inequalities, the new hub would offer a modern, accessible environment for care, which is better for patients and for colleagues. Centralising services we hope will reduce duplication of resources, improve efficiency and allow more resources to be directed into patient care.

NHS England is providing £10 million to refurbish the building. All of this funding is dedicated to this site. This is not a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

Twenty-five years.

Staff are trained to uphold confidentiality. Options for dedicated reception space are being considered. There will be self-check-in facilities and private areas for confidential conversations.