Agenda item

The committee noted the report and agreed that the CCG would come back to its next meeting.

The committee also noted the referral from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and agreed to respond formally in due course.

Diana Braithwaite (Director of Commissioning and Primary Care, Lewisham CCG) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

7.1       The CCG explained that it is reporting on the early findings of its twelve-week consultation on the future of the walk-in centre in New Cross. Overall, 82% of consultation respondents were not supportive of the proposal to close the walk-in centre. The CCG said that it will take at least four weeks to fully analyse consultation responses.

7.2       The CCG stressed that no decision has been taken yet about the future of the walk-in centre and that the CCG governing body would not be making a decision at its next meeting.

7.3       A number of other key messages emerged from the consultation process: people are not aware of or being offered the GP extended access service; people are concerned about the difficulty in getting through to their GP on the phone; users of the walk-in centre who are not registered with a GP, or whose GP details are unknown, aren’t necessarily people who live in the borough.

7.4       The CCG is going to look into whether any unregistered patients who do live in the borough are in a vulnerable position. The CCG have also arranged for an officer to be present at the walk-in centre to help people get registered with a GP. The CCG noted that patients registered with a GP are more likely to have better outcomes in the long term.

7.5       In response to concerns raised about where people would be able to go for wound dressings, the CCG said that wound dressing is provided though the GP extended access service and that funding will continue for this.

7.6       In response to concerns raised about the potential impact on A&E as a result of any changes to the walk-in centre service, the CCG said that there isn’t any evidence that walk-in centre closures lead to a major shift to A&E. The CCG said that they’d reviewed national research (Monitor, 2014) into 20 walk-in centre closures and spoken to colleagues in Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich about their experiences following similar changes.

7.7       The CCG analysed the possible impact on A&E attendance if the walk-in centre did close and, based on the formula from an academic study of similar proposals (Pinchbeck, 2016), estimated that A&E could see around 4-8 additional patients a day.

7.8       Following concerns raised about the primary care needs of the homeless population in New Cross, the CCG held a summit on homelessness with the council and local homelessness agencies. Through this the CCG identified a gap in primary care services for rough sleepers. The CCG said that they will be developing a service for this population.

7.9       Cllr Dromey, ward councillor for New Cross, set out his, fellow ward councillors’ and the local MP’s concerns around the impact of the closure of the walk-in centre and the consultation process.

7.10    Cllr Dromey argued that people are using the walk-in centre not because they are confused about primary care provision but because of the difficulty in getting a GP appointment. He also didn’t accept that the majority of users of the walk-in centre are not from Lewisham.

7.11    Cllr Dromey expressed particular concern about the impact on A&E waiting times, with research indicating that 5-20% patients who currently use the walk-in centre might got to A&E if it was closed (Pinchbeck, 2016). He also expressed particular concern about the impact of the closure on the homeless population and undocumented migrants, particularly in the winter.

7.12    The committee expressed concern about closing the walk-in centre at a time when many people appear to be confused about the various ways of accessing GP services. The committee suggested that it may be time for the CCG to carry out a publicity campaign on the primary care services which are going to be available.

7.13    The CCG agreed to come back to the committee with more detailed analysis of the consultation responses at its next meeting on 6th December 2017.

Resolved: The committee noted the report and agreed that the CCG would come back to its next meeting. The committee also noted the referral from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and agreed to respond formally in due course.