Care Board Pulls Out From Second Planned Meeting on GP Surgery Reorganisation

Published on: 14 Nov, 2022
Updated on: 15 Nov, 2022

By Martin Giles

Local NHS representatives have called off their attendance at a public consultation meeting on the reorganisation of GP services in west Guildford for the second time in two months.

The meetings were both arranged by the Onslow Village Residents’ Association (OVRA) because of concerns expressed by residents over proposed changes.

At the first meeting on September 13, from which Surrey Heartlands CCG pulled out only the day before but it went ahead, without CCG, to gauge public feeling. The audience was reminded that four options had been short-listed:

consolidating on a single surgery at Park Barn;
consolidating with two surgeries, one main in Park Barn and the other close to the Jarvis Centre in Stoughton;
consolidating into one or two main sites and additionally maintaining the Wodeland Avenue site and;
consolidating into one or two main sites and finding another site (as yet determined) in southwest Guildford.

Concerns were expressed, in particular, over the possible closure of Wodeland Surgery.

Last week OVRA announced that the second meeting due to be held at Onslow Village Hall on November 22 had also been cancelled by the Surrey Heartland’s “Integrated Care Board” (or ICB – Clinical Care Groups (CCGs) have been renamed).

The reason given to OVRA by a spokesperson for Surrey Heartlands ICB was: “We want to make sure that we are talking to all our communities as part of a comprehensive communications and engagement plan.

“We are not yet ready to do this. We need to be at a point where we can engage with and talk to all groups and individuals within the community at the same time, rather than talk to individual groups on a more ad hoc basis.

“I realise this may be disappointing, but I do hope you will understand that there are many different elements to this complex programme that need to be in place before we more fully engage with all members of our community.”

The Dragon asked Surrey Heartlands ICB the following:

Can you please say when you feel the ICB will be ready for a meeting and what more will be prepared or agreed in that time?
What would you say to those who are concerned that plans are being further developed before public opinion is being properly assessed?

We received the following response: “The North and West Guildford Primary Care Estates Programme still remains at the proposal development stage.

“We are committed to fair, transparent, and open engagement and will ensure it takes place when we can be certain that our proposals are deliverable and that they will meet the health and care needs of the people of North and West Guildford.”