LABOUR’S candidate for Thurrock, Polly Billington has put pressure on the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to address residents’ concerns with their plans. The CCG’s is consulting the public over the future of the walk-in service in Grays.
The CCG have proposed closing the service and investing in four GP "hubs". Other options on the table include keeping the drop-in centre open or reducing its opening hours.
Polly Billington has urged the CCG to keep the walk-in service arguing that the alternative will not meet the needs of residents. After speaking at the CCG’s future care consultation meeting she has written to the CCG asking them to answer patients concerns.
She said, “I spoke up for the patients who currently use the service, and challenged the CCG to explain how they will meet the needs of patients if the centre is closed.
Residents need to know: How will the current needs of patients be met by a small number of emergency appointments available at the weekend? Where will be the hubs be in the borough, as it’s important that they are be accessible by local transport and have enough parking?
Will health care be equally accessible to all patients at the hubs, or will patients registered at that surgery get first refusal?”
Polly went on to say, “We residents should be involved in designing the service we need – not be offered a flawed consultation directing us to a “preferred option” which will leave us worse off. I urge all residents to fill in the consultation survey so that he CCG gets the message loud and clear that we want to keep our walk-in service.”
