Changes to services at village surgery

PATIENTS are seeing changes to services run by a busy village GP practice after old consulting rooms were branded “no longer fit for purpose”.

The ageing Greencroft Annexe on Carey Hill Road has been closed by the team at Stoney Stanton’s Old School Surgery, with care and checks once rendered there now operating elsewhere.

The changes came into effect at the start of the month but practice bosses alerted patients to the plans weeks beforehand.

A spokesman said: “We have been reviewing the annexe building and while it has served our patients and staff well for a number of years we feel that we need to make some improvements so that we can enhance the quality of care we provide to our patients.

“Unfortunately the annexe building is no longer fit for purpose. Access is very difficult via a path which is steep and can be slippery and unsafe for our vulnerable patients and pregnant ladies. It is also very isolated and has limited public lighting. The building itself is suffering from damp and is in need of major repairs.”

In the light of these difficulties the practice decided to shut the annexe and rearrange services.

Now phlebotomy and blood coagulation tests are run from the main surgery on Hinckley Road, along with the midwifery service, enabling an increase in appointments, and easier access to doctors.

The physiotherapy is provided by Leicestershire Partnership Trust who are looking to streamline their services, but are committed to still providing this service in the Hinckley area.

Health visitors will be based in the Living Rock Church as well as making home visits while the counselling service called ‘Lets’ Talk Wellbeing’ is being centralised although referrals will still be made by GPs. Self-referrals can also be done by calling 0115 876 0157.

The spokesman added: “The team at The Old School Surgery is really excited about these improvements. We will be making the best use of our available space and providing services in a much improved setting which is safe, has much better parking facilities and has a doctor on site at all times.”

Patients are invited to provide feedback to the surgery team on the changes and their experiences.