Agenda item

Resolved: the committee noted the report and resolved to receive further updates on the impact of the proposals as they progress.

Diana Braithwaite (Director of Commissioning & Primary Care, Lewisham CCG), Marc Rowlands (Chair, Lewisham CCG), and Simon Parton (Chair, Lewisham Local Medical Committee) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

8.1       The CCG told the committee that it had been a difficult decision to close the New Cross walk-in centre, which they had only taken after considering all the information they could.

8.2       The CCG does not believe that the walk-in centre gave the best healthcare to the residents of Lewisham. The walk-in model is not the model the CCG are looking for. The CCG want patients to be registered so that doctors have access to their records during consultations.

8.3       CCG officers explained that users of the walk-in centre would be able to use the Lewisham GP extended access provision, which offers GP appointments 8am-8pm seven days a week.

8.4       The CCG carried out a comprehensive 12-week consultation and has considered and responded to all the alternatives proposed.

8.5       There were a number of concerns highlighted during the consultation, including the impact on A&E waiting times and vulnerable sections of the local community, such as rough sleepers and undocumented migrants.

8.6       The CCG believe that the impact on A&E waiting times at Lewisham Hospital will be minimal, but said that it will continue to monitor activity. The CCG received a letter from Lewisham and Greenwich Trust stating that the walk-in centre closure would have minimal impact.

8.7       The CCG are in the process of developing a new service for rough sleepers, which will be piloted for 18 months from April. This will include a walk-in service at the Waldron and outreach work. The CCG will also have someone at the walk-in centre to help people who are not yet registered with a GP get registered, including undocumented migrants.

8.8       The Chair of the Lewisham Local Medical Committee (LMC) noted that the CCG's consultation on the future of the walk-in centre had been appropriate, with a good level of engagement with vulnerable groups such as rough sleepers.

8.9       The committee asked about the methodology the CCG used to conclude that closing the walk-in centre would be mitigated by access to GP extended hours provision.

8.10    The CCG noted that during pre-consultation people said that the key reason they used walk-in centre was because they were not able to book a GP appointment and that most people said that they would use a bookable appointment if they could get one.

8.11    New Cross ward councillors addressed the committee and acknowledged that the CCG’s consultation on the walk-in centre was comprehensive, but expressed concerned that it was being closed despite 82% of consultation respondents being opposed to this.

8.12    They also noted that Lewisham and Greenwich Trust was experiencing its worst A&E waiting times on record and stressed the importance of monitoring the impact of closing the walk-in centre on the numbers of visitors to A&E.

8.13    New Cross ward councillors also noted that New Cross and Deptford are some of the most deprived areas of Lewisham and asked if the CCG would consider a satellite walk-in service at the Waldron in New Cross if alternative services were found to be falling short.

8.14    The CCG agreed to report back to committee on how it manages and monitors the transition period following the closure of the walk-in centre. The CCG noted that the GP extended access services is under-utilised and that they would be able to increase the number of appointments available if necessary.

8.15    A member of the committee raised a procedural motion to proceed to the next business on the agenda. The motion was seconded by another member of the committee and the Chair called for a vote. Four members of the committee voted in favour of the motion and two members of the committee voted against the motion. The committee proceeded to the next item on the agenda.