Action urged over shortage of town doctors
Wednesday, 25th June 2014.
Concern about GP provision in Haverhill could lead to public demonstrations and community action, after the issue was raised at a public forum of Haverhill Town Council last night.
The latest spark in an ongoing controversy about Haverhill healthcare in general was lit by the possibility of Stourview Medical Centre being merged with Christmas Maltings surgery.
Patients at Stourview have been greeted recently with a notice on the door telling them the merger is being discussed as an option for the future, after one of the two doctors there left.
Members of the public asked the town council what it was going to do to safeguard patients and deal with issues such as waiting times and opening times at Haverhill GP practices.
Cllr Betty McLatchey, the town councillor who has been working most closely with health providers in the town, explained the decision to merge the surgeries had been made by NHS England, but was being fought by the West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Stourview was down to only one doctor, and if he was ill, there would be none at all, so something had to be done. But she emphasised no decision had yet been made and wanted to discourage scaremongering in the town.
Town mayor Cllr Roger Andre said the town council's health group would be addressing the issue to see what it could do.
It was unacceptable that NHS England, a body on which the town had no representation, should be making the decision, and not the CCG on which the town was represented, he said.
Cllr Pat Hanlon said all practices in the town were short of doctors, the total deficit being four-and-a-half, and it meant a wait of upto four weeks to see your own doctor.
Cllr Mary Martin said Christmas Maltings had 19,000 patients and was struggling. "There is a large problem," she said. "It's very unsatisfactory and a Stourview merger would add to the chaos and disruption."
Haverhill county councillor Julian Flood said he had spoken to a senior doctor at a recent meeting and was told Haverhill people tended to get ill earlier in life than the average, probably as a result of childhood deprivation.
"Because of this we are underfunded here by several doctors," he said.
Cllr Maureen Byrne said ploaces which had suffered from deprivation should get more money rather than less.
"The task of looking into the GP/patient ratio in Haverhill is immense," she said. "But we have to do more. It is not good enough. Perhaps we have to demonstrate outside surgeries."
Members of the public agreed a campaign of action was needed and Cllr Barry Robbins suggested getting up a petition.
Cllr Byrne said they should also worry about the town's doctors who were 'absolutely at the end of their tether'.
"Some are talking of retiring who would not have thought of it two years ago," she said.
The latest spark in an ongoing controversy about Haverhill healthcare in general was lit by the possibility of Stourview Medical Centre being merged with Christmas Maltings surgery.
Patients at Stourview have been greeted recently with a notice on the door telling them the merger is being discussed as an option for the future, after one of the two doctors there left.
Members of the public asked the town council what it was going to do to safeguard patients and deal with issues such as waiting times and opening times at Haverhill GP practices.
Cllr Betty McLatchey, the town councillor who has been working most closely with health providers in the town, explained the decision to merge the surgeries had been made by NHS England, but was being fought by the West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Stourview was down to only one doctor, and if he was ill, there would be none at all, so something had to be done. But she emphasised no decision had yet been made and wanted to discourage scaremongering in the town.
Town mayor Cllr Roger Andre said the town council's health group would be addressing the issue to see what it could do.
It was unacceptable that NHS England, a body on which the town had no representation, should be making the decision, and not the CCG on which the town was represented, he said.
Cllr Pat Hanlon said all practices in the town were short of doctors, the total deficit being four-and-a-half, and it meant a wait of upto four weeks to see your own doctor.
Cllr Mary Martin said Christmas Maltings had 19,000 patients and was struggling. "There is a large problem," she said. "It's very unsatisfactory and a Stourview merger would add to the chaos and disruption."
Haverhill county councillor Julian Flood said he had spoken to a senior doctor at a recent meeting and was told Haverhill people tended to get ill earlier in life than the average, probably as a result of childhood deprivation.
"Because of this we are underfunded here by several doctors," he said.
Cllr Maureen Byrne said ploaces which had suffered from deprivation should get more money rather than less.
"The task of looking into the GP/patient ratio in Haverhill is immense," she said. "But we have to do more. It is not good enough. Perhaps we have to demonstrate outside surgeries."
Members of the public agreed a campaign of action was needed and Cllr Barry Robbins suggested getting up a petition.
Cllr Byrne said they should also worry about the town's doctors who were 'absolutely at the end of their tether'.
"Some are talking of retiring who would not have thought of it two years ago," she said.
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