Fears region will miss out on £25m government cash for new health hubs

The region's care commissioners are in the process of bidding for funding to establish five new hubs in the county, which would offer seven-day-a-week access to GP and other health services.

If the plans go ahead, the five new centres, costing £47m would be set up in Norwich, Rackheath, Attleborough, King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, and offer one-stop access to a wide range of services.

But there are fears a £25m pot to help fund the new facilities could be lost, after the project hit a crucial snag.

Norfolk and Waveney's clinical commissioning group lodged its business case for the project in December, but has since received feedback from NHS England Improvement meaning it will need to resubmit its plans.

This means if the green light is given it will not be until later in the summer of 2022 - meaning the CCG may miss the window for its funding.

The £25m sought is hoped to come from a pot of government cash for projects which must be completed by March 2024.

Should the delays mean the project can not be completed by this date, the CCG would lose out on the funding.

Paul Higham, director of estates at the CCG, told its primary care commissioning committee the NHS feedback meant elements of the business cases needed rewriting.

He said: "The approval process is out of our control but the feedback we've received has been really helpful and beneficial to improve the quality of the full business case.

"It is just disappointing we didn't get this earlier in the process."

The bid comes with 70pc of GP surgeries in the county telling bosses they need more space to operate and cope with demand.

A spokesperson for NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “The CCG continues to support discussions around the scheme and work is continuing to make sure local health needs and housing growth are factored into planning to meet healthcare needs in Norfolk and Waveney.”