An extension was built in 1984 to provide four consulting rooms, an office for a part time practice nurse and treatment room nurse, a staff room and more space for the health visitors. Dr Palmer retired fully in 1987 and Dr Adams replaced him. Dr Orcutt retired in 1989 and Dr Clifford replaced him. Dr Jefferies joined in 1994, when Dr Adams emigrated to Australia. Crawley Down Mums were now having their babies in the newly-built Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath.

By 2005, the number of patients had increased only marginally to 7500 but medical practice had undergone many changes; changes in the needs and expectations of patients from the doctors, loss of extended family support, increases in preventative medicine and screening, work devolving from hospital to general practice, advances in medical treatments. The building itself needed replacing and the practice had outgrown it. It was decided to build a PFI (privately funded building); the doctors would lease back part of it and the Primary Care Trust the rest. Dr Clemens retired in 2005, Dr Croucher became full-time and Dr Mendes was taken on to prepare for the increased facilities. The portakabin era commenced!

The opening of the new building took place 10 years ago in November 2007. The opening was memorable for the lift breaking down, full of people. Jan Freeman remembers the services of the doctors were needed as someone collapsed in the lift while they awaited the fire brigade to rescue them. The doctors wanted the village involved so ran a competition among the local schoolchildren, asking them to draw pictures of ‘what happens in a surgery’. The winner from each year group performed the opening ceremony.

In 2012 the government started an initiative that would give patients a voice in the running of their surgeries. Each practice was to have a Patients Participation Group. Our group, the Friends of CDHC, have bi-monthly meetings with Dr Jefferies and the Practice Manager and have set up a dedicated website and quarterly newsletter, as well as taking part in local and district meetings with the Clinical Commissioning Group and fund raising for items the surgery needs but are not covered in the NHS list.

Ten years down the line, Crawley Down Health Centre has 8500 patients from this area and it is now about to undergo another big change. Dr Clifford is retiring after nearly 30 years, although he has promised to come back as a locum! The surgery has two partners, Dr Jefferies and Dr Osaba and 4 salaried part-time doctors. The partners employ 29 staff, headed by the practice manager. As well as the nurses and dispensers, members of the Primary Health Care Team, district nurses, midwives, dieticians, community psychiatric nurses see patients regularly at the premises . Appointments and prescriptions are no longer written down in a book. With the advance of computers, patients can if they wish make appointments, order repeat prescriptions online and have access to their medical records. The doctors are no longer on call at night and weekends; this is done by out of hours doctors. Their duties now include dealing with endless paper-work, including repeat prescriptions which take up more of their time.

Times have changed but the Health Centre is still a vital part of the village community that helps make Crawley Down a special place to live.

This article would not have been possible without the help of Marguerite Riley, Sylvia Billings, Nanette Allen, Janet Rhodes, Gillian Payne, Barbara Wheadon and Lesley Croucher. It has been a fascinating journey.

Caroline Custard
January 2018