Petition to bring back face-to-face GP appointments
SCORES of concerned residents have signed a petition calling for their Derby health centre to be reopened for face-to-face GP appointments.
Patients registered at Sinfin Health Centre are having to travel to Hollybrook Medical Centre in Littleover instead for in-person appointments. They say this is not viable or acceptable for those who do not have the money to pay for a taxi or the several bus trips it takes to get there.
A number of residents have said a round trip in a taxi to Hollybrook is £18 to £20 and judged as unaffordable for many families and those less well-off living in Sinfin. They also say a journey by bus involves taking a bus into the city and making a change to get out to Hollybrook – requiring four buses for a roundtrip.
Residents feel leaving public transport as the only viable option for those who may be medically unwell, without transportation, when public transport is not advised during the Covid-19 pandemic, is unacceptable.
GPs at Sinfin Health Centre have thanked patients for their support and say face-toce-toface appointments nts will be restarting in n November.
It has, with a patient list shared with Hollybrook, the third highest number of patients in Derby and Derby- shire on its register, er, with more than han 21,000.
A petition set up by campaign group SOS
NHS Derby, has been signed by 186 people in a day.
It reads: “Since the early part of this year, Sinfin Health Centre has been closed for face-to-face consultations with patients.
“This has meant that we have had to travel to the Heatherton Village branch of the practice. Without a car, this means four bus journeys or a taxi fare of £8 to £9 each way.
“The doctors and other staff are much appreciated by many of us and we do understand the effect that Covid 19 has had on our NHS. “However, we feel it to be unfair for one patient group to have to struggle in this way, especially as Sinfin is home to many elderly people and young families on lower incomes. “We therefore ask our doctors to cons sider the impact of t their decision and to re reopen Sinfin Health Ce Centre now.”
Mary White, 62, a sup support worker living in Sinfin, said: “Sinfin is an area of Derby that has been expanding more recently so getting an appointment with the GP or nurse was difficult enough, but now because of Covid, the surgery is closed and everyone is expected to go to Hollybrook surgery two buses away.” Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “This is a major issue and we love all of our doctors, but this has created quite a lot of hardship.
“We have had enough of it, it has gone on long enough and winter is coming. People who are hard-up for money anyway and who may be made redundant will struggle.”
Dr Riten Ruparelia, Dr Paul Nathan, Dr Callum McLean, Dr Awais Khalil and Dr Debalina Deshmukh, partners from Hollybrook Medical Centre and Sinfin Health Centre, said: “We plan to introduce face-to-face appointments at Sinfin Health Centre from November, and a flu clinic was held there on Saturday.
“We appreciate it’s been challenging for some Sinfin patients and we’d like to thank them for their support and patience while we’ve worked to find the best way of making the building layout safe for patients and staff under Covid-secure working practices.
“Sinfin was closed for three weeks at the beginning of the pandemic when a large proportion of our staff had to self-isolate.
“Since April it’s been staffed by clinicians and vulnerable staff who must isolate or shield, as the site layout means they could still safely work in separate areas, whereas it’s been difficult to make the centre suitable for patient use, given the guidance we must follow.
“The majority of patients have been able to be supported by phone, or online, and Sinfin has continued providing prescriptions for collection from our nearby pharmacy, and patient sick notes have been posted out when they’ve been needed.
“All face-to-face appointments not requiring a home visit, which we’ve continued to offer where needed, were booked for Hollybrook in the meantime.
“We’re happy to talk to any of our patients if they have worries, to see how we can best support them.”
Hannah Belcher, assistant director of GP commissioning and development, for NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “All GP practices have had to massively change working practices to keep patients and staff safe during Covid-19.
“Some sites, like Sinfin, have been harder to adapt to this unprecedented situation, but everyone has worked as hard as they can to continue offering services for patients, and make it possible for the centre to reopen for face-to-face appointments as soon as possible.”