Local MP calls on Councillors to all back a slowdown in house building to help NHS Health Centres like Gillies catch up
Maria Miller MP convened a meeting between the local NHS and CGH, the organisation responsible for primary healthcare at Gillies Health Centre and invited local Councillors to attend to help ensure a better understanding of what is creating the shortfall in supply of healthcare appointments.
Maria said, "Over a number of months CGH patients and those using Gillies in particular have experienced unacceptable delays in being able to see a medical practitioner because of an insufficient number of people answering the phones and a shortfall in appointments. Similar problems have been experienced by patients in almost all Medical Centres throughout the Borough. I want to work with local councillors to ensure they have a clear understanding of what is creating the problem for the people they represent, and how we can work together in the best interests of the whole community.
"The pandemic has created a pent-up demand for primary healthcare which is still working through the NHS system, this coupled with a national shortage of GPs has made a difficult situation in Basingstoke worse, because even before the pandemic, primary healthcare in Basingstoke was struggling to recruit enough medical staff to meet the needs of a community that has grown at double the rate of the rest of the country for more than 50 years. On top of that, ours is the most rapidly aging population in Hampshire which also means on average we now need an appointment at our local Health Centre more than 6 times a year rather than 4 times a year before the pandemic.
"Councillors, who agree house building levels in the community, need to better take this into account as they agree the new Local Plan. Basingstoke has more than played its part in house building for 5 decades. Now we need some time for our local NHS to catch up. It’s no good Councillors continuing to repress for more and more homes to be built without the increase in services new residents would need. And that's particularly true for health services.
"I hope this meeting has shown that CGH are working to improve the service they offer but that a huge increase in demand which the NHS is struggling to meet is at the heart of the problem. Rather than calling for higher levels of house building, I believe we need to shift our focus onto the needs of Basingstoke residents, which could be met with house building levels half of what they are today.
"The NHS across the board has struggled to keep pace with the rate of house building in Basingstoke: the Hospital replacement isn't due for completion until 2030; the Ambulance service has 500 vacancies; and GP practices are all reshaping the way they work to deal with an increase in demand from our rapidly ageing population including more telephone triage and telephone appointments to meet increased demand.
"It was encouraging to hear from the CGH GPs responsible for running the Health Centre that patient’s concerns about call waiting times and access to appointments are being tackled with a restructuring programme which started in October. Call waiting times are down but need to reduce further; and a massive spike in appointment demand in December due to the Strep A outbreak has now largely subsided but routine appointment waiting times are still longer than many patients want to see.
"I believe that everyone should expect to access NHS appointments when they need them. The best way to achieve that is to slow down house building to let the NHS catch up with demand. I want to see all GP surgeries providing emergency appointments on the day and that routine appointments should be bookable 3 weeks in advance. With these targets in mind, I will continue to closely monitor the progress being made at the CGH and all our Medical Centres in Basingstoke. Councillors need to play their part and slowdown house building so the NHS can catch up.’’
