Declares that the Petitioners believe in fighting to defend the NHS; further that the Petitioners believe in fighting to defend the NHS services in East Cleveland and Park End and Hemlington, Middlesborough, and oppose cuts inflicted by the Conservative-led Government’s Health and Social Care Act 2012; further that the Petitioners believe that proposals to scrap GP services at Hemlington Medical Centre should be abandoned; further that proposals to scrap GP services at Hemlington Medical Centre should also be abandoned; further that the Petitioners believe that South Tees clinical commissioning group's plan to close East Cleveland Hospital’s and Guisborough Hospital’s minor injuries units is short-sighted given the £30 million deficit of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and further that the Petitioners condemn South Tees clinical commissioning group’s decision to close Skelton’s NHS walk-in centre and close Park End Medical centre.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to encourage NHS England and South Tees clinical commissioning group to re-open Park End Medical Centre, Skelton Medical Centre, its NHS walk-in centre and East Cleveland and Guisborough Hospitals' minor injury units.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Tom Blenkinsop, Official Report, 29 October 2014; Vol. 587, c. 363.]
[P001393]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Health Department:
These are matters for the local NHS. This Government are committed to devolving decision making about local NHS services to local clinicians and communities. GPs, clinicians, patients and local authorities are best placed to determine the nature of their NHS services.
Following a period of public consultation, on 15 October the South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group approved changes to community services, including minor injury services. The CCG will commission a new centralised stroke service and an enhanced minor injury service at Redcar Primary Care Hospital by April 2015. In the next two years, the CCG plans to significantly improve the range and extent of services available in the community. This includes services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and community nursing, along with providing more treatments in patients’ own homes, and more outpatient and day treatment appointments at local community venues.
NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of primary care services. The GP practices at Park End and Skelton Medical Centres, first commissioned in 2009, have closed as their respective contracts have expired. This followed a service review involving stakeholder engagement and an impact assessment. The review showed list sizes to be low against original projections, with sufficient accessible primary care capacity nearby.
The walk-in service at Skelton Medical Centre also closed at the end of its contract. The local NHS assessed that there was not sufficient demand for the walk-in service to make it viable.
NHS England is seeking an alternative provider to retain Hemlington practice until December 2015. This will enable a comprehensive review, involving full consultation, yet to be undertaken.