The local primary care trust ‘NHS Camden’ is seeking to make drastic changes to the provision of primary and urgent care in Camden. Make sure you make your views known through the consultation that closes on 9th Ocober.
You can also attend a meeting, organised by NHS Camden in Kentish Town on 8th September – see below.
Greens are part of the Keep Our NHS Public coalition in Camden, which is opposing many aspects of the new strategy. A recent meeting of the group passed a motion of no confidence in the trust, and feels that the consultation asks unfair and confusing questions that obscure the real effects of the plans.
A key part of the plans is to centralise GPs into larger ‘polyclinics’ contracted out to be run by private companies. Greens and KONP do not believe that core NHS principles of care can be upheld if general practices are handed over to profit-making companies and amalgamated into polyclinics.
Polyclinics centralise treatment, which can lead to impersonal care, lower levels of out of hours service and lead to longer journeys for patients to see a GP. They also go against the key principle of keeping public services in public hands.
See the Camden KONP website for advice on how to respond to the consultation. The most important response is to say ‘No’ to question 8 in the consultation.
KONP has also prepared an alternative questionnaire which asks fairer questions about the plans. Download the document here (pdf) and return your answers to NHS Camden along with your response by 9th October.
But don’t just take our word for it. Your own views are important on the care you want to receive from the NHS, and the way the service is to be organised in future. So do attend the meetings to find out more about the plans.
NHS Camden say:
“NHS Camden want to transform the way you receive primary and urgent health care and they have developed a strategy which outlines how they propose to improve healthcare in Camden. The HCAG project has invited them to our next meeting so you can give them your views on how they can make sure that all health services in Camden meet local needs.”
And the key points of the strategy and the consultation questionnaire can be found through this link:
http://www.camden.nhs.uk/primary-and-urgent-care-strategy.htm
NHS Camden’s meetings:
Kentish Town
Date: Tuesday 8 September 2009
Time: 12:45-1:45pm
Venue: Kentish Town Community Centre, 17 Busby Place, London, NW5 2SP
St Pancras & Somers Town
Date: Wednesday 9 September 2009
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Venue Somers Town Community Centre, 150 Ossulston Street, London, NW1 1EE
Gospel Oak
Date: Wednesday 9 September 2009
Time: 6:30-7:30pm
Venue: Somers Queens Crescent Library, 165 Queens Crescent, London, NW5 4HH
Kilburn
Date: Monday 14 September 009
Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Venue: Abbey Community Centre, 222c Belsize Road, London, NW6 4DJ
Food and refreshments will be provided. Please call to register your interest. If you have any queries, difficulties in getting to the venues or have issues with childcare please contact Natalie Creary by phone on 020 7974 7841, text 07780 985 882 or email Natalie.Creary@Camden.gov.uk.
