Keeping a close eye on Urgent Care Centre

The campaign by Windsor and Maidenhead Lib Dems to reopen the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) at St Marks Hospital seems to have prompted a remarkably defensive response from the local Conservatives given that the campaign, in this instance, isn’t about them.

We have, for some time now, been seeking answers from the Frimley Care & Commissioning Group (CCG) about when and how they intend to reopen the UCC.

We have written numerous letters and Cllr Simon Werner (Lib Dem, Pinkneys Green) asked questions at a recent COVID outbreak board.

Their response published last week confirms what we have been saying all along — that the centre remains closed, and there will be a consultation about its future.

We were told at the outbreak board that residents prefer to access urgent care services via their GPs, which is surprising given how difficult it is at the moment to get an appointment or even get through on the telephone.

In light of those difficulties, we welcome the news that the GP service at St Mark’s is to be expanded, but fear that this approach — which is, in effect, a sticking plaster for wider pressures on the NHS — will impact on the CCG’s ability to reintroduce walk-in urgent care services any time soon, if ever.

The local Lib Dems were right to highlight this issue and we will continue to keep a close eye on developments to ensure that residents don’t lose this service they love or see it downgraded.

Others may choose to look away – that’s their prerogative.

Cllr CATHERINE DEL CAMPO Lib Dem, Furze Platt and chair, Windsor

and Maidenhead Lib Dems