SUFFOLK's health trust's move to a high-profile new headquarters has been delayed until the end of next month, The Evening Star can reveal today.It was initially hoped that the Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) would be moving to new premises in Bramford at the beginning of this year, but the move has been put back until the end of February.
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SUFFOLK's health trust's move to a high-profile new headquarters has been delayed until the end of next month, The Evening Star can reveal today.
It was initially hoped that the Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) would be moving to new premises in Bramford at the beginning of this year, but the move has been put back until the end of February.
A PCT spokeswoman said: “The PCT has put back its move to a single office from January to the end of February 2007.
“The main reason for this was to set a more convenient time for staff making the move, in view of current heavy workloads, together with the recruitment process.”
She added that the delay in moving would not cost tax-payers any extra money.
She said: “The building has not been handed over as planned but there have been no extra costs to the PCTs.”
The move to Rushbrooke House, the new riverside headquarters in Paper Mill Lane in Bramford, was first announced in September and was part of a huge restructuring of the local NHS, which saw four of the county's former PCTs come together to form the Suffolk PCT on October 1.
This has led to a re-shuffling of jobs and a number of redundancies as the organisation tries to make a 20 per cent reduction in management costs.
The rent for the new building will cost the trust £300,000 a year and has sparked outrage among health campaigners who claim the money would be better spent on helping to plug the PCT's £35m debt.
Others questioned why the trust had not looked at using vacant NHS buildings such as those at the north end of the Ipswich Hospital site.
PCT bosses say there were no suitable options as the hospital buildings would have cost too much to upgrade and would not have suitable parking.
What do you think of the PCT's move? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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