Patient Action group "disappointed" with reaction to Stamford health petition
It looks unlikely there'll be change to GP services at the moment
A Patient Action Group say they're disappointed, after a petition they handed to NHS Lincolnshire has failed to bring about change.
Better Healthcare for Stamford (BH4S) say GP services in the town aren't fit for purpose after a management group called Lakeside Healthcare took over all three of Stamford's GP surgeries.
The group handed over a petition with more than 3000 signatures to the NHS.
Andrew Nebel is the chairman of BH4S, he says, 'The existing primary care deliverer- Lakeside- have been failing for three years and they now have an inadequate rating by the Care Quality commission.
Although we're pleased to hear there are plans in place to try make that practice stronger and better- there's a real concern they don't have the capacity or the capability to meet the needs of the people in Stamford and the surrounding villages'.
John Turner, NHS Lincolnshire CCG’s Chief Executive, told a board meeting on Wednesday he was committed to a public engagement on the future of services after complaints about Lakeside Healthcare.
But Andrew Nebel says it's not good enough: 'There's an engagement session being launched by the CCG but they didn't say when that would be.
It's good that they want to talk about our longterm healthcare needs but we don't want a longterm wait for that to happen.
They need to listen to the people of Stamford and do something about it now'.
Mr Turner didn't offer a timesale for the public engagement.
He did admit that the recent damning inspection by the Care Quality commission, was, 'completely unacceptable, but that staff are working very hard and doing all they can to serve the people of Stamford'.
Andrew Nebel insists the situation is desperate and could result in missing a serious health complaint: '
We've had this problem for the last three years, you cannot get to see a doctor and if you can't see a doctor, there's a serious risk your problem will get worse.
There's been a lot of feedback from patients who have been so frustrated, they've had to call 111 or drive to A&E in Peterborough to get someone to look at their child or elderly relative.
They should be able to access care in Stamford. There's clearly an undelivery of care in the area and that could lead to serious consequences if important health issues are missed'.