Weekend clinics at risk ...because far too many islanders use them (From Echo)
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Weekend clinics at risk ...because far too many islanders use them
4:20pm Sunday 16th September 2012 in News By Jacqueline McMillan
The Oaklands Surgery, on Canvey
A SATURDAY emergency doctor’s surgery on Canvey is facing closure – because health officials say it is too popular and too expensive to run.
The emergency clinic at the Oaklands Surgery, at the Central Canvey Primary Care Centre, in Long Road, was launched in 2009 to great fanfare.
Health officials predicted offering the service to all islanders for five hours every Saturday would save money and ease the pressure on hospital A&E departments at Basildon and Southend.
It has now emerged they want to end the weekend sessions – because too many patients are going there, rather than visiting hospitals or seeing their GPs during the week.
Castle Point and Rochford Clinical Commissioning Group, which runs the centre, says the Saturday service has “not proved an effective use of NHS resources” and would like to end them.
But Canvey county, borough and town councillor Ray Howard has sworn to fight to keep the sessions going.
He said: “It is outrageous. Why should people be forced to go all the way to Southend, when the provision is already here, especially on weekends, when the roads through there are absolutely gridlocked?
“To take this away would be a great disservice to residents in Castle Point.
“I will not accept this. I will be campaigning big-time to stop this from happening.”
The commissioning group says the Saturday surgery is mainly being used by Oaklands patients, many of whom are not emergency cases.
The threat to the clinic was revealed in a report on Wednesday to an Essex County Council health overview and scrutiny committee meeting.
Mr Howard, who is a member of the committee, said: “This is absolute nonsense. I have had so many constituents complain about it, which is why we cannot lose this Saturday service.”
Comments(10)
tatersalad
says...
5:23pm Sun 16 Sep 12
whataday
says...
8:41pm Sun 16 Sep 12
They go on about people using A & E inappropriately then want to shut a facility that is offering an alternative to going to A & E Very confusing
Nebs
says...
10:53pm Sun 16 Sep 12
Sim0n
says...
4:08pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Nebs wrote:I have to agree with NEBS, and that should be the arguement used to save this valuble service. If its busy then its doing the right thing.
What about all the new houses that are to be built in the area, demand will increase even further. If it is so busy you should be thinking about extending the opening hours rather than shorten them.
Of course the Government are not helping cutting the funds and asking Dr's not to refer people unless vital they do so , and then run TV ads telling the country that if they have a Cough or runny pooh go to the Doctors and the law states they have to refer you how is that going to work ?
marshman
says...
5:13pm Mon 17 Sep 12
It's not busy because it's providing emergency and/or A&E services. It's busy because the regular patients are simply using the surgery's Saturday sessions as an extension of normal opening times. If it really isn't being used for the purpose it was intended, why should the rest of us suffer to fund it.
It's a great idea but seems, unfortunately, to have failed.
Nebs
says...
5:48pm Mon 17 Sep 12
marshman wrote:So close at different times on other days. Surgeries are for people who work during the week as well as everyone else.
You've all missed the point.
It's not busy because it's providing emergency and/or A&E services. It's busy because the regular patients are simply using the surgery's Saturday sessions as an extension of normal opening times. If it really isn't being used for the purpose it was intended, why should the rest of us suffer to fund it.
It's a great idea but seems, unfortunately, to have failed.
marshman
says...
6:44pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Nebs wrote:I agree. But it's all about budgets. The doctors have negotiated to be paid for dispensing emergency treatment but in reality are mostly doing normal practise. If a Saturday surgery is needed it should indeed be funded - but not at the cost of emergency treatment and care.
marshman wrote: You've all missed the point. It's not busy because it's providing emergency and/or A&E services. It's busy because the regular patients are simply using the surgery's Saturday sessions as an extension of normal opening times. If it really isn't being used for the purpose it was intended, why should the rest of us suffer to fund it. It's a great idea but seems, unfortunately, to have failed.So close at different times on other days. Surgeries are for people who work during the week as well as everyone else.
Kryton1234
says...
7:44pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Hugh.Janus
says...
6:26pm Sun 23 Sep 12
What has happened is the people have taken advantage of the fact that there is a 'walk in surgery' open on a Saturday. I went there for a particularly nasty problem, only to find the waiting area packed to capacity and a warning that I could be waiting for a couple of hours.
When I looked around there were people from all walks of life; including small children and OAPs. It was a matter of people taking advantage of the facility and dare I say it, too lazy to make an appointment to see their own GP had they done so I suspect the number in the waiting room would have been two thirds fewer people.
Having said all that I am not really surprised that there has been an over use of this facility. ; Have you tried to get an appointment with your own GP lately? It is almost impossible to get past the dragon receptionists I think sometimes they feel they are protecting the Tower of London rather than executing a public service. The Third Ave surgery on the Island has a horrendous system for appointments and it make one wonder whether or not they do this on purpose so they have less work to do by driving people to the Canvey Clinic on on a Saturday. Makes on think?
jolllyboy says...
4:47pm Sun 16 Sep 12
Alternative make the GP's do their jobs how they used to and have weekend surgeries. They get paid enough and their pension pots are large enough for them to do a full time job! patients have had enough.