Plymouth’s health service is facing collapse after the Government backtracked on their promise to fund a Super Health Hub/ Cavell Centre in the West End of Plymouth.

It has now come to light that the Government has quietly pulled the £41 million of NHS funding for the project, so today I organised a debate in Parliament where I called on the Government to honour its original commitment.

The Super Health Hub, a cross-party initiative, was meant to be Plymouth’s flagship health project to address the GP crisis. It was expected to provide a home for new GP surgeries, dentistry, mental health, community and diagnostic services, including X-rays, all under a single roof in Colin Campbell Court. By bringing health to the high street, the idea behind the Health Hub is to treat more people earlier, prevent illness and cut emergency admissions at Derriford.

This project matters a great deal to me. I have been campaigning for a Super Health Hub in the our city centre for years because I strongly believe the facility could be truly transformative for health in Plymouth. If it gets binned because the Government has withdrawn the £41 million of funding, the detrimental knock-on effect this will have on our city’s health cannot be understated. Our GP service is facing collapse despite the heroic efforts of staff.

The Super Health Hub would be based in Stonehouse, an area with the lowest life expectancy in our city. Stonehouse accounts for approximately 20% of Derriford admissions and the proposed Hub has been designed to improve access to health services and reduce the need for emergency admissions through early intervention and prevention.

The Super Health Hub project would be expected to give the West End a financial boost and revitalise Plymouth City Centre, too.

People in Plymouth deserve better than a creaking heath service. The Government cannot be allowed to deny us a project which could provide a lifeline for