Meeting the needs of the community
The small agricultural village community that is now Paddock Wood, developed around a new railway halt in the mid 19th century. By the turn of the next century hop growing had become very important to the local community with an annual influx of up to 8,000 Londoners coming to pick hops. The London influence expanded in the 1960s with the arrival of many to the new housing estates. There are fast direct rail links to London and Europe.
Paddock Wood has continued to expand and is now classified as a town. Many of its population commute to London or nearby Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone. Local farming continues, but has been gradually augmented by significant light industry. Having been built largely at the instigation of Dr MacDonald, Woodlands Health Centre was opened in 1971; being innovative at the time because District Nurses, Health Visitors, Midwives and Dentists worked with GPs from a single building.
In the intervening years, not only has Paddock Wood grown, but so also has the practice population with 8500 patients being cared for by 3 partners in the 1970s increasing to 6 partners providing medical care to 11600 patients at the start of this millenium.
This has also been a training practice for many years and we can have as many as 3 GP Registrars in the practice at any one time. This, together with the other developments in providing primary health care, has meant that space has been at a premium for some time, with rooms having to be booked in advance to ensure there is adequate space to accommodate everyone.
The health centre has been extended twice since it opened and in the late 1990s we realised that the number of staff now based here could only be accommodated in larger, purpose built premises.
On 19th May 2006 wemoved into our impressive new building which is the second health centre to bebuilt on this site, so enabling the provision of patient care by all members of the primary health care team to continue and develop, thereby building on the vision that Dr MacDonald had in the late 1960s.