Councillors from different political parties are seeking to overturn the decision to close a York GP surgery.
As we reported yesterday, Stockton on the Forest surgery closed last month due to a shortage of reception staff. And it may not reopen due to recruitment problems.
Now Strensall ward Lib Dem councillor Tony Fisher and local campaigner Paul Healey have launched a petition calling on Haxby Group Practice to reopen the practice.
Cllr Fisher said: “This is extremely unsatisfactory.
“This means that patients from Stockton will have to travel to either Haxby or Huntington.”
Paul Healey added: “There is no direct bus to either of these surgeries. If you don’t have access to a car, this means a long bus journey or an expensive taxi fare.”
You can sign the petition here.
Meanwhile, Conservative Strensall ward councillor Paul Doughty has called for an urgent meeting over worries about access to GP services for residents of Stockton and other villages.
Cllr Doughty drew the admission that the surgery might not open from Haxby Group GP and chair of the Nimbuscare practice group Dr Mike Holmes at a meeting of the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
The ICB is a new body which has replaced Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Cllr Doughty said: “Dr Holmes is an honest and upfront person and I am deeply concerned that he felt he was not able to give reassurance to my residents, even suggesting that at the present time he did not know when, or even whether the surgery would reopen.
“The surgery is a vital facility serving the village and several others. Access to alternatives is difficult, particularly for older residents and the vulnerable, or those without a car and with no bus link to other surgeries within the group.”
Minimum wage
Dr Holmes spoke of the difficulties in recruiting reception and admin staff, highlighting pressures including the abuse frontline staff have often received.
“While there is never any excuse for abuse, I am concerned that difficulty in accessing GP appointments is leading to extreme frustration by residents,” Cllr Doughty said.
“I also highlighted the low salaries often offered by GP practices for support staff, which are private businesses running under GP contracts and conditions dating back to the past Labour Government.
“I have seen adverts for staff offering little more than pennies above minimum wage – significantly less than for jobs at budget supermarkets for example.
“I contrast this with my understanding that Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board have even applied to ministers for their chief officer’s salary to exceed the upper limit of £240,000 per annum set by Government.
“Given the pressures we are often told the NHS is under, I think there is a serious need for senior bosses in the Health Service to balance out resource more fairly and address the urgent need for reform of both GP and dentistry contracts.”
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