CCG VOTED TO CLOSE NEW CROSS WALK IN CENTRE
Lewisham CCG have issued a statement about their decision to close New Cross GP walk in centre.
At the end of December we wrote a finał response to the CCG’s initial report on the public consultation.
Here are some of the key points in the letter. The CCG has responded to many of these points in its final report, but our concerns remain:
1. Providing a service which is as good or better than NCWIC
If the closure of the NCWIC is to be seen as not simply a cut, then the amalgam of all the different parts of the existing service (for example provision for unregistered patients, nurses to carry out wound dressings, provision at the Lewisham Extended Hours GP service) needs to provide a service that is as good as or better than what it is replacing. You will understand that for patients who cannot get GP appointments normally for several weeks, the removal of the service is viewed with real anxiety.
2. Pockets of unmet need
We are still concerned that there are pockets on of unmet need that would arise from the closure of the the NCWIC including provision for migrants and other other individuals who may be unable or unwilling to provide an address. We would like you to be explicit in your plans to be in place to avoid failure to meet these needs.
3. Community based hubs
According to the CCG’s community based care plan Lewisham is being divided into 4 hubs, one of which is based at the Waldron. Why could not the key aspects of the Walk-in Centre be added in to this provision at the Waldron Including a walk in element? In fact one of the suggestions made by the public as part of the consultation was exactly this.
4. Public suggestions for an improved service
We would be interested to know your responses to the number of excellent suggestions coming from the public listed at the end of your report. Would it not be in the true spirit of consultation to consider these, and even if they are not achievable or desirable in your view, to say why.
5. Monitoring
In order to ascertain whether all the different elements you intend to put in place are working, we would like to know what procedures and measures will be put in place to monitor these. The take up and effectiveness of the the Lewisham Extended Hours Practice being one of these areas; the effectiveness of provision for unregistered patients is another; provision for those requiring wound dressings another. Because it is increasingly hard for patients to have basic access to their GPs and because surgeries are under such pressure, it seems to us that monitoring is essential.
5. Publicity
Finally, we would like to know what measures will be put in place to ensure that patients know when, where and how key services previously accessed at the NCWIC will be provided, whether or not the closure does go ahead,.
CLOSURE OF THE NEW CROSS WALK-IN CENTRE POSTPONED
The Save Lewisham hospital campaign opposes the proposed closure of the New Cross Walk-in Centre based at the Waldron Health Centre.
The CCG HAS ANNOUNCED IT WILL DELAY THE CLOSURE UNTIL 31 MARCH. Read the CCG report on the consultation here.
According to the CCG 82% of respondents opposed the closure. Following interventions from the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign and local Councillors, the CCG is therefore delaying the decision for further consideration.
Please read our statement, the CCG reply and our response to their reply.
The Save Lewisham hospital campaign is opposing the proposed closure of the New Cross Walk-in Centre based at the Waldron Health Centre. Read the CCG consultation document here. We are opposing the closure this for a number of reasons. Firstly, the consultation has not been publicised widely enough nor does the online consultation give opportunities for people to express their views in a meaningful way. Secondly it is clear from the CCG’s arguments for the closure that it is purely financially led. Thirdly while we recognise that extra provision has been made for patients registered with a GP at Lewisham Hospital, we feel that local people, including patients and GPs, should have been given genuine opportunities to to contribute to different ideas about how to reprovision a local service so that it would better meet the needs of local people. People living and working in the North of the borough clearly need such a walk-in facility We are also concerned about the needs of unregistered patients who need those services and who will be unable to access the Lewisham Hospital based GP service.
We are therefore recommending that people take part in the consultation. Access the online consultation here. For the reasons above and many others, the campaign says no to the Walk in Centre proposed closure decision. We have discussed the issue thoroughly and feel that In particular to give local people further time to contribute the closure plan should be halted.
Read our letter to the CCG here
Following our letter, we met with the CCG. Read the CCG reply here
At our recent meeting we listed several questions that in our view remain outstanding. Read here
