Shoebury health centre patients 'struggling to park'

Norton Place Health and Social Care Centre, operated by the Southend East Primary Care Network, is a collaboration of six GP practices that provide care to 37,000 patients from Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Shoebury.

However, with appointments for treatments lasting up to three hours and limited parking within the health centre, patients have to park on Ness Road, Shoebury, where there is a one-hour parking limit with no return within four hours.

James Moyies, Conservative councillor for West Shoebury has put forward a motion to next Thursday’s Southend full council calling for the waiting limit to be extended to three hours.

Labour council leader Daniel Cowan has insisted the issued will be tackled - regardless of the motion.

Mr Moyies said: “Some people are having to have three-hour treatments and would then have to move their car. The staff there brought it up. It is quite distressing if you are going for a treatment and worried about parking your car.

“The good news is the administration has given their indications that they will accept it. The staff and these patients have asked for this so we put the motion forward and it looks like the administration is going to accept it.”

The motion, backed by fellow Conservative councillor John Harland, called for the waiting limit to be extended for patients.

The motion states: “Many patients are being forced to find alternative parking. Opposite Norton Place, there are parking bays situated in Ness Road.

“Currently, these bays restrict patients to parking for only one hour with no return in four hours. Many appointments at Norton Place can take up to three hours, and this puts patients in a difficult predicament and forces patients to use nearby residential roads.”

In response, Mr Cowan said: “I suggested to James that the motion would create an unnecessary delay and this is something we can take forward without unnecessary process.”