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Issue 97 March 2019
Councillors call for end to plans to close Lingdale GP Clinic
A
t a recent meeting of the Council's Adults and Community Scrutiny Committee they unanimously agreed to oppose a move by the South Tees NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to close the GP Clinic in Lingdale. RCBC councillor Steve Kay who represents Lingdale said: “This is the fifth meeting I’ve been to, fighting to have Lingdale Clinic re-opened. I’m sure that if the CQC spent the money
on refurbishment to modern standards, the clinic would be acceptable to the local GP practices and would be wellused again. Why should Lingdale people be forced to travel to Skelton to see a doctor?" The CCG argued that numbers attending the clinic staffed by nurses and specialists from Skelton's Hillside GP hub, were low and had fallen in recent years. They also argued the building was old and not fit for
purpose. But the Scrutiny Committee rejected these arguments, pointing out the isolation of Lingdale and outlying communities, the poor public transport with only one bus an hour to Skelton, and the growing numbers of older people living close by. Cllr David Walsh, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, who attended the Scrutiny meeting. said "I agree 100% with the stance the Committee
Freebrough Flyer 12 page supplement inside
have taken. I back the committee and urge the CCG to look again at the issue and that this be done in partnership with the Council and other relevant agencies active in rural East Cleveland. By working together we should be able to find a solution that doesn’t mean complete closure and the loss of yet more local services." But unfortunately the NHS South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee agreed at its meeting on Wednesday 27 February 2019 to support an application from Hillside Practice and Brotton Surgery to close their branch site at Lingdale Clinic. The statement we received said This follows a period of engagement with patients and stakeholders including the local authority’s Adults Communities Scrutiny and Improvement Committee and local councillors to understand the impact the proposed closure would have. Lingdale Clinic has been temporarily closed since February 2018 due to problems with the building’s heating and hot water system and practice workforce constraints. During the three months prior to the temporary closure of Lingdale Clinic, an average of 19 patients per month accessed the clinic.
Patients have continued to access appointments since that time at the main sites at Brotton Surgery and Hillside Practice or via home visits where appropriate. The practices will now contact patients affected by the closure and offer reassurance that they will be able to continue to access the health services they need. Dr Neil O’Brien, chief clinical officer, NHS South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group said: “The Primary Care Commissioning Committee has supported the application from Hillside Practice and Brotton Surgery as we are confident that this will be a better use of the clinical workforce in order to support improved patient care.” Dr Kate Harvie and Dr Linda Smith from Hillside Practice and Brotton Surgery said: “We would like to reassure our patients that they will still be able to see the same doctors and nurses and continue to access the health services they need at our main sites at Brotton Surgery or Hillside Practice. We would encourage anyone with any concerns to discuss them with their practice.” The practices have confirmed that the closure of the Lingdale Clinic will not result in staff redundancies
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