For over ten years, residents of Didcot have been promised a new health centre for the Great Western Park development. That promise remains unfulfilled, stalled by a fundamental financial disagreement.
The core issue is a gap in the required return on investment. The developer involved in the project is seeking a higher financial return than the local NHS body, the integrated care board, is willing or able to reimburse. This standoff has created a significant roadblock.
Local health officials now express a further concern: even if the building were completed at the developer’s proposed cost, the ongoing financial burden might be too high to attract a GP practice to operate the facility. This raises the prospect of a new building standing empty, unable to deliver the healthcare services the community has long awaited.
The situation in Didcot highlights a broader challenge in funding and delivering modern healthcare infrastructure, where financial models can clash, leaving communities in limbo.