Villagers who have been without a GP surgery for 18 months will be able to see a doctor locally when Wimblington officially unveils a purpose built medical centre.

Cambs Times: New Wimblington GP surgery North Witchford Lodge, King street, Wimblington. Picture: Steve Williams.New Wimblington GP surgery North Witchford Lodge, King street, Wimblington. Picture: Steve Williams. (Image: Archant)

Due to open next month, the surgery will cater for 6,700 patients from Wimblington, Doddington and Manea with a range of specially tailored clinics for health problems including diabetes, psychiatric services and long term health problems.

The GP surgery used to be inside a house in Governess Close in 2014 but was closed because it was labelled unfit for purpose.

Dr Simon Hambling said: “It’s all about access. There are many people in the village, particularly those in sheltered housing, who don’t have access to a car, so to be able to walk to their local surgery will have a massive positive impact on their lives.

“It gives a local focus to the village. Some patients have been refusing to travel to Doddintgon and have either asked for home visits or have quite simply not gone to their doctor.”

Five doctors will see patients at the surgery which will include a dispensary for prescriptions.

The surgery plan was last year left hanging in the balance after the Government said it would not fund it because they believed there was no local need.

However, following a fight which included parish, district and county councillors, Dr Hambling as well as canvassing from MP Steve Barclay and Elizabeth Welcher, Doddington Medical Centre’s practice manager, the scheme was put back on track.

In the meantime patients have been seeing doctors at Doddington Medical Centre.

Planning permission was granted to create a surgery at North Witchford Lodge, then Roddons, which owns the building, put the work out to tender.

Last year NHS England contacted Wimblington parish councillors giving them the shock news that the Government refused to pay the £14,000 a year rent on the building because not enough people had complained about a lack of a GP surgery in Wimblington.

But campaigners argued that nobody complained about the surgery closure as everybody knew that a new purpose built GP surgery was being developed.