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Dear Friends,
What's a `Polyclinic` ? Hands up those who think it might be a vet for exotic
birds...
No such luck, I'm afraid - it's what the government apparently wants every Primary Care
Trust to have as a sort of half-way-house between GPs and Hospitals. That is, if you can
find one. The point of this idea - being propagated by Lord Darzi (Health Minister, and
practicing surgeon) - is that GPs will work alongside nurses, dentists, social workers, hospital
doctors, etc. offering patients a range of services traditionally carried out in hospitals,
such as minor surgery, dermatology, diabetes care and diagnostic scans - all from 8 am to 8
pm, seven days a week. Anyone will be able to use them, whether or not they are registered
with them.
So far, so good. Although, if it takes patients away from hospitals, the hospitals will
get less money, thus cutting down on the services they can offer...
But: we live in a very large Primary Care Trust (Surrey), and only one Polyclinic is planned
initially - near Chertsey. Quite what use that is to the rest of Surrey is not clear.
Quite what damage it will do to rural GPs' surgeries if the idea catches on is very clear
- as is the `carbon footprint` that will be generated by people having to get to and
from their polyclinics. For those without their own transport it is very bad news.
This is being billed as something more accessible than a hospital (certainly in terms of getting
appointments), but experience of them elsewhere has thrown up a problem: people like to see
a doctor whom they know. With polyclinics, there will be no effective choice. And
if the range of services should prove seductive (despite the impersonal aspect), then the GPs
surgeries will begin to haemorrhage money, and the smaller ones (i.e. our local ones) will become
uneconomic.
Once again, a government idea that might work for cities will be ruinous for more rural areas.
First, Post Offices, now doctors. The BMA is actively fighting this plan - I think that
we all should. After all, it isn't five minutes since we were all fighting to save
the Royal Surrey; if we are having trouble affording our existing hospitals, where is the PCT
going to find the money for a set of day-hospitals whose success (if they work) can only be
at the expense of more local services, and possibly the main hospitals too.
If you feel that this is a misguided government initiative, write to Alan Johnson, the
Secretary of State for Health, and tell him:
Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, House of Commons, LONDON. SW1A 0AA.
(or email him on his website (!) at www.alanjohnson.org )
Emails and petitions are good, letters are better. Your MP and the PCT need to know your
feelings too, but it is the government that is driving this.
William Lang.
(also see my comments
on page 6 Ed)
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