Even last week Martin Tod (county councillor for the Weeke area) and I were fighting for the Pound Road Doctors’ surgery to remain open but the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) did not accept that the money needed to refurbish the current surgery would be value for money- and they wanted all the doctors in one site- not split as now.
And in reality, this is the crux of the matter.

The NHS funding per patient in this area is less because we are healthier– and so Friarsgate, which has over 25,000 patients does not feel able to support a satellite surgery here in the Worthys.
But will the Weeke surgery be able to cope with the additional appointments needed to fill the gap left by the Pound Road closure? We argued that this will not.

At the meeting I made it clear that I do not accept this decision in any way. A community of over 2200 households should have a local surgery.
You tell us that you agree.

There is one last chance; which is the call in of the decision by the County Council, which can be done in June, after the closure. We will be asking patients what the impact of the change has been, but in reality, this has been planned by the Friarsgate practice for some time as they have downgraded the services available here.

We are told to report our concerns early, make choices about our health and use our pharmacists. But will the new ‘cafe style health experience’ be a valid replacement for our local surgery?
As one of its patients too- I doubt it.

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