Patients Must Travel Further To See GPs
Revol | 16.06.2006 21:33 | Health | Workers' Movements | Liverpool
In the ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ White Paper, the government has published details of how you must travel further to see your doctors and dentists, spending more time and money whilst damaging the environment with increased exhaust emissions that poison us all.
Of course they didn’t quite put it like that. Instead they went on about ‘super-surgeries’ and the ‘convenience’ of having all medical services under one roof. But how exactly is that more convenient? It’s not like the super-markets where you can get your groceries and rotisseries and barbecue sets all in one go. You have to book appointments when it comes to healthcare. If the super-surgery is down your road then you’re laughing, if not it looks like you’ll have to travel a long way.
In Liverpool, there are currently one hundred surgeries. Three sites have been identified for hosting the new super-surgeries - housing GPs, health visitors, dentists, a pharmacy, a cardiology clinic and X-ray facilities.
Rob Barnett, secretary of Liverpool Local Medical Committee, said: "If you take these centres to their logical conclusion, there might only be twenty practices left."
A petition is already being circulated in the Aigburth area amid fears the changes will leave the L17 postcode with no GP surgery at all.
The Primary Care Trusts are making all the usual noises about consulting people, but we all know that the bottom line is money. With the government looking at ways to cut health spending, the needs of ordinary people look set to be ignored yet again.
The bosses have had their say, it is time for us to have ours.
In Liverpool, there are currently one hundred surgeries. Three sites have been identified for hosting the new super-surgeries - housing GPs, health visitors, dentists, a pharmacy, a cardiology clinic and X-ray facilities.
Rob Barnett, secretary of Liverpool Local Medical Committee, said: "If you take these centres to their logical conclusion, there might only be twenty practices left."
A petition is already being circulated in the Aigburth area amid fears the changes will leave the L17 postcode with no GP surgery at all.
The Primary Care Trusts are making all the usual noises about consulting people, but we all know that the bottom line is money. With the government looking at ways to cut health spending, the needs of ordinary people look set to be ignored yet again.
The bosses have had their say, it is time for us to have ours.
Revol
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