GP Services

Wooler Health, the GP practice in the Cheviot Primary Care Centre in Wooler, is considering increasing its boundary to the north to include Wark and Carham. This is part of a wider proposal to change the practice boundary, which it says is needed because of the growth of the local population and difficulties in serving some areas. It says: “We propose to increase the boundary to the north to include Wark and Carham as these are both south of the River Tweed and therefore on the English border so people living there should have the opportunity to register with us as we already cover the neighbouring Cornhill.” You can comment on the proposed boundary changes by completing a short online survey. For more information, email Wooler Health or phone 01668 263 852.

Rural Cost of Living Survey

Independent research commissioned by the Rural Services Network (RSN) last year shows that rural areas are suffering more acutely from the cost of living crisis than urban areas. To lend more weight to the argument for more funding for rural areas the RSN is calling on as many rural residents as possible to complete a rural cost of living household survey. The online survey is not difficult to complete and you can omit any questions that you do not want to answer. The RSN is part of the Local Government Association and is campaigning for fairer funding for rural areas. It has launched the survey in partnership with the Citizens Advice Rural Issues Group. Please forward this information to anyone you know who lives in a rural area. You can complete the survey by clicking on this link.

Gigabit Broadband Survey

Northumberland will be one of the first counties in England to benefit from a UK Government project to provide next-generation gigabit broadband to hard-to-reach homes and businesses by 2025. Gigabit broadband is ten times faster than superfast broadband, at 1,000 Mb per second. Northumberland County Council is working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and telecoms providers to thoroughly research and map the county for its existing and future broadband infrastructure, to help it identify hard-to-reach premises. To ensure that Carham parish’s connectivity needs are included and not overlooked, please complete the DCMS survey, and please encourage others to do so, too – particularly those who live in outlying farms and communities. The survey deadline is 11 June.