01/10/2026
Great news for Hockley π
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πππ ππ πππππππππ - ππ ππππππππππ & πππππππ β
Some years ago, I worked closely with the then partners at Audley Mills Surgery, in Rayleigh and local NHS leaders, to help successfully negotiate a deal, to expand capacity there. (The extra building, which includes the practiceβs Education & Training centre, as well as more consulting rooms, is now well established).
However, there is demand for extra capacity in other local GP practices as well, so I have been working with two in particular, Riverside Surgery in Hullbridge and Hockley Medical Centre (formerly the Jones Family Practice) in Hockley, to try and expand their capacity to see patients, as well.
So, I am delighted that today, Mr Tom Abell, the Chief Executive of the NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) - which oversees Primary Care services across the County and with whom I have had multiple meetings on all this - has endorsed the expansion of several GP surgeries across South Essex, including both Riverside and Hockley Medical Centre.
Riverside will grow by taking over the old Barratt-Redrow sales centre, near the bottom of Ferry Road, in Hullbridge and converting this into a new, additional, GP annexe, including several consulting rooms and associated facilities. The building conversion work, for which planning permission has already been granted (but which was unfortunately then delayed, by some minor bureaucracy) should now, finally, begin this autumn, for an opening expected in early 2027.
Hockley Medical Centre will also be expanded, in this case via a major first floor extension, which will add multiple consulting rooms plus additional training facilities. I have had several meetings with the Practice Lead, Professor Dr Mahmud, supported by Cllr Danielle Belton, over this project (see picture) and the building work, for which planning permission has also been granted, should now, hopefully, commence early in 2027 and then take around a year to complete. However, the surgery should remain fully open to patients in the meantime.
As the local MP, I have been pushing both of these schemes for several years now, in association with the leadership of both practices, so I am delighted that Essex ICB bosses have now formally endorsed both projects.
Once they come into service, this should mean more valuable GP appointments for my constituents, across both areas and I am grateful to Tom Abell and his team for supporting both important ideas.
In the meantime, constituents elsewhere may be encouraged that the ICB has also recently sanctioned some improvements at the Robert Frew Medical Centre in Wickford and at Ashingdon Medical Centre as well.
