Sir Peter Dixon: ‘Disgrace’ to sell Finsbury Health Centre

Published: 26 February 2010
by TOM FOOT

A TOP health boss has attacked plans to sell Finsbury Health Centre as an “absolute disgrace”.

Sir Peter Dixon, chairman of University College London Hospital in Euston, said the centre’s owners had failed to maintain the Grade I-listed building. He criticised English Heritage as “too wet” to protect the pioneering centre.

NHS Islington, which owns the building, says it cannot afford to refurbish the centre, which it plans to sell to a private developer.

Sir Peter said: “Don’t give me that. I just don’t buy that argument. The reason the building is in need of repair is because it has been neglected by Islington primary care trust for the last ten years. If it is sold to developers it would be an absolute disgrace.
“I’m sorry, but it is their responsibility to repair it. The primary care trust are the owners. They have an obligation to maintain the building. If they were renting it from a private landlord they would be under an obligation to repair it as part of the terms of the lease.”

Sir Peter, who lives in Canonbury, was speaking as a local resident rather than hospital chairman. He is stepping down from that role after ten years at the helm.

He added: “Finsbury Health Centre is an iconic building. English Heritage should have been much more positive than they have been so far. They have been too wet.”

A spokeswoman for English Heritage said: “Our advice has always acknowledged that a sensitive programme of re­pair and refurbishment is required to enable the building to operate as a modern health care facility. We continue to believe it is entirely viable to adapt the Grade I-listed building to meet modern operational requirements while retaining its intrinsic interest and character. However, the health authority continue to make their case for relocating services.”

NHS Islington ann­ounced it would close the health centre in February last year. It said the estimated £9million cost of refurbishment was too expensive and that the money would be better spent elsewhere. It maintains its role is to provide world-class healthcare to patients, rather than maintain heritage sites.

The centre, designed by visionary architect Bert­hold Lubetkin, opened in 1938, bringing together a range of health services under one roof. It pioneered an approach to healthcare later adopted by the NHS.

Islington Council’s health scrutiny committee has spent six months investigating the decision to close the building. This week, it published a detailed, 51-page report whose findings cast serious doubt on the financial and health-related arguments for closing the health centre.

In a letter to NHS Islington, Labour councillor Martin Klute, the committee chairman, said: “It seems increasingly likely that the matter will be referred to the Secretary of State, and that this decision will be taken at the next meeting of the health and wellbeing committee on Monday.”

A NHS Islington spokeswoman said: “As the owners of a Grade I-listed building, we are responsible for finding an appropriate future use for it, and we are committed to making sure this happens. We will continue to work closely with English Heritage, the London Borough of Islington and local stakeholders to help ensure the heritage of the building is preserved following any change in ownership.

“Our job is to provide quality healthcare services in modern and suitable premises accessible to all residents. We’re not here to look after historic buildings.”