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Are you checking practices are up to standard?
Open letter to John Carrier Chairman NHS Camden
• WE are writing to express the dismay of Camden Keep Our NHS Public at what has happened to at least two of the three general medical practices in Camden that were handed over to UnitedHealth almost a year ago.
At the recent initial meetings of Patient Participation Groups at these practices it became clear that problems at the Camden Road and Brunswick Square surgeries include the following:
* loss of long-serving and well-appreciated doctors;
* not enough doctors and/or too many different locums;
* frequent long waits after patients arrive
in time for appointments;
* appointments often only available more than a week ahead;
* difficulties in getting through to make appointments;
* apparently frequent changes in nursing staff;
* unsatisfactory arrangements for
urgent cases and emergencies;
* lack of information on the phone about out of hours cover (at Camden Road the weekend message is “The mailbox is full… Please try again later”;
* prescriptions not correct and/or not
ready at the expected time;
* removal of the popular baby clinic at Camden Road to the Caversham practice in Kentish Town;
* failure to provide better premises at Camden Road;
* rudeness of some new or temporary reception staff;
* lack of information about whether or when blood tests can be done on site.
The extended surgery hours referred to in
your communication director’s acknowledge-ment of the petitions this group handed in to the primary care trust on February 14 are very far from compensating for the above drawbacks.
Is NHS Camden monitoring these three practices to check whether they are being run satisfactorily, as promised?
If the practices are not up to standard, as seems to be the case, can you explain what can be done, and when, to return them to public control?
In addition we would like to register our strong opposition to plans for a GP-led health centre to be established in Camden.
The need for this is not proved and such centres are likely to be damaging to existing practices.
When the first such centre opened in the UK (Hillside Bridge Healthcare Centre in Bradford) the surrounding practices lost both patients and staff to the new centre – www.pulsetoday.co.uk /story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4121973&c=2
We look forward to hearing from you soon in reply to our questions about these practices and to our comment on GP-led health centres.
Patients’ concerns are growing because the problems are obviously increasing.
Maeve O’Connor, Secretary
Candy Udwin, Chair
and supporters of Camden Keep Our NHS Public
Service improvements at medical centre
• WE' VE read recent coverage of local GP services in the New Journal with great interest.
It has been nearly a year since UnitedHealth took over the running of Brunswick Medical Centre and as two GPs already working at the surgery, to be perfectly honest, we were unsure how things would work out. We are glad to say however, that any initial concerns have proved unfounded. We have been able to implement some real improvements in our day-to-day services with long-term plans for future innovation and growth. This includes new clinics for child health and minor procedures, longer evening opening hours and Saturday surgeries, and also in-house psychology and alcohol counselling . Our clinical team continues to provide excellent care and is committed to the wellbeing of our patients. For the first time, the surgery is also involving and listening to patients about the real issues important to them and we are putting together action plans to address any concerns.
With this standard of care continuing, it is hard to see why the local population should be so critical of UnitedHealth. We’re delivering a high quality service, so why should it matter who is providing it?
DR MILLIE SAHA
Dr Gareth Hull
Brunswick Medical Centre
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