SAVE YOUR LOCAL NHS SURGERY
Quality of Care and GP Opening Hours – Protecting the NHS
Dear Patient
Your GP’s surgery works hard to ensure that most patients can be seen as soon as possible, using the resources that are given to us by the Government.
We understand that many patients have to work and sometimes may struggle to get an appointment time that fits in with work and other commitments.
We work hard to ensure that those who need emergency appointments can see a doctor as soon as possible and satisfaction levels with GP services remain very high (more than 8 out of 10) as shown in a recent Government survey.
There is no benefit to patients of a surgery opening for longer if the quality of care is poorer, and the patients who need care most find it harder to get the appointments they need. We are concerned that the issue of extended hours are an excuse for the Government in England to introduce large health centres or polyclinics that may be run by multinational companies. Money will be taken from practices like this one to help pay for these new privately run centres. One is planned for Leeds and GPs are very worried that this could put your local surgery at risk if local GPs themselves are not involved in its development.
We would like to be able to offer more appointments later in the evening or on a Saturday morning and the British Medical Association made this offer to the Government. However, the Government said no, and indeed put forward plans which will make it very difficult for practices like this one to offer the high quality service in an evening that we know patients would want. For instance the Government expects doctors to work alone, without the support of a practice nurse. It also expects doctors to work 12 hours a day which we do not believe will be good for the doctor or patients.
GPs are very concerned about the Government plans, as we do not believe they will deliver the improvements in care that our patients really want. Ultimately these changes could undermine the very basis of the NHS. The NHS is 60 this year, please help us protect it and keep it working for everyone, particularly those who need it most.
We need your support as your GP surgery, as you know it, is under threat. If you value your local surgery and the NHS please defend it by:-
- Writing to Ms Chris Outram, Chief Executive, Leeds Primary Care Trust at North West House, West Park, Ring Road, Leeds LS16 6QG, telling them you do not agree with these changes and do not want them.
- Write to the local or national press telling them you are against these changes and why.
- Write to your MP and tell them how much you value your local surgery, do not want to lose the relationship with your family doctor and do not want to see the break-up of the NHS general practice that the Government is planning.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.