I was
delighted to attend the opening of the Carlyon Road Health Hub in St Austell
last week. The re-opening of the old
Polkyth Surgery under a new banner, with a new function, represents a key step
forward for healthcare in St Austell.
Since the financial
failure of the Polkyth practice, residents have been all too aware of the
impact of reduced facilities in St Austell.
Many of you have contacted me asking me to help with these issues.
GPs and
staff at the Hub are to be congratulated on the speed that they have re-opened
the facility. This is a testament to
their hard work and dedication. The
surgery has undergone a face-lift and now boasts state of the art medical equipment. We should be proud that St Austell has seen
an innovative solution rise from the remnants of one of the biggest GP practice
failures in the country.
The Hub
forms part of the St Austell Healthcare Consortium, which was set up during the
course of 2014 following the merger of four existing practices into one. Bringing the number of sites to five, the Hub
is designed to deal with acute care – patients needing same-day care. This supports the other four surgeries in the
consortium, which provide the more traditional appointment based GP service. These
four practices should also see a lessening in appointment pressure.
The five
sites offer an exciting opportunity for GPs to specialize in areas of interest
and I look forward to healthcare in the area improving in the coming months and
years.
The
consortium operates under one system and telephone number and as with any new
process there have been teething problems.
The team has assured me that sufficient GPs have been recruited and that
the consortium will be locum-free by September.
The innovative nature of the solution has meant that the consortium has
been able to recruit high-quality young doctors and this bodes well for the
future as well.
The opening
of the Hub represents a step forward, but it is not the end of the
journey. As more and more new houses are
built we run the risk that pressure on GPs builds again. There will always be a
challenge in trying to keep ahead of the curve in this area and this is a
concern local residents often raise with me.
I recently
met with Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group, who oversee the provision of
primary health provision in Cornwall, including GP services. I made the case
for another GP surgery in St Austell in light of the growing demand. I will
continue to press for more GPs in the area and work with local health service
providers to do all I can to ensure we keep pace with demand.
My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and
seek to make a real difference to the lives of everyone who needs help and
support in any way.
If there is any issue that we can help you with then please
contact us on either 07555069714 or on office@stevedouble.org.uk.
