EMERSONS Green Medical Centre will reopen by the autumn, it has been announced.
Green Valleys Health, the GP partnership that runs the surgery in St Luke’s Close, confirmed in April that it has made an agreement with Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is in charge of funding NHS services, for work to start on fixing the building’s broken heating and hot water system.
The medical centre, which has more than 11,000 patients on its books, shut suddenly in October 2024.
Since then Green Valleys Health has been running services for Emersons Green patients from Leap Valley Surgery in Downend.
But councillors have raised concerns that some patients have trouble reaching the other surgery, and that they are waiting longer for appointments.
The practice told the Voice in a statement: “The partners of Green Valleys Health are pleased to announce that the Emersons Green site will be re-opening.
“The team and ICB have an agreed way forward and look forward to opening the doors again in time for autumn 26.
“We will continue to keep you updated as we move forward with the work.”
In a message to patients on the practice’s website, they added: “We would like to express our thanks to both you and the ICB for your support during this difficult time, and will keep you updated as we move forward.”
The announcement follows a long process of confirming funding and contractors for the work.
Last October, members of South Gloucestershire Council’s health scrutiny committee were told work was expected to start by November, and take six weeks.
In February, local MP Claire Hazelgrove said she had met with both Green Valleys Health and the ICB to discuss progress on the repairs.
The continued closure of the surgery was raised at April’s meeting of the health scrutiny committee by Emersons Green ward councillor Rachael Hunt, who said: “It’s one of the key questions I have when I’m knocking on doors in my local area and it’s being raised at our town council coffee mornings constantly.
“People are concerned.”
Cllr Hunt said she was a patient of the surgery and had recently been told an appointment to follow up an abnormal blood test result would take eight weeks.
She said: “My experience and what I’m hearing on the doors is that these wait times for appointments are increasing.”
Cllr Hunt asked for the committee to be given figures to show the effect of the closure on waiting times.
ICB lead director for primary care David Jarrett told Cllr Hunt: “I share your frustration that the practice isn’t open but we are working actively and positively at the moment with the practice to get it reopened.”