Heather Wheeler, MP for South Derbyshire, has expressed her disappointment at yesterday’s decision by the East Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to approve the closure of Rosliston Medical Centre.
The CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee held an Extraordinary Meeting on 13th May 2019 solely to consider the application, made by Stapenhill Medical Centre, to close its branch surgery in Rosliston.
Although the meeting was held in public (rather than being a public one) Cllr Dan Pegg, Vice Chairman of the Patients Participation Group (PPG) for the surgery, was permitted to read a statement out to both voting and lay members articulating the PPG’s concerns.
Members of the Committee also received a verbal account from Stapenhill Medical Centre from a representative of NHS England and then proceeded to discuss a range of issues relating to the surgery including: the current condition of the Rosliston Medical Centre building and its IT system, problems with the Practice’s catchment area for those moving into the area and needing to register as a patient, the consultation process between the GP partners and patients and whether the current surgery can cope with the expected influx of up to 7000 residents from planned housing developments.
After much deliberation the Committee decided to approve the application to close Rosliston Medical Centre but attached a number of conditions to this, notably on: parking at Stapenhill Medical Centre, booking appointments online and the telephone system currently in use by the surgery.
Commenting on the meeting and decision, Mrs Wheeler said:
“Yesterday’s decision to close Rosliston Medical Centre is of course hugely disappointing.
The community showed just how much this facility meant to them with patients, members of the newly formed Patient Participation Group (PPG) and local councillors all turning out for the meeting, and I know the PPG welcomed the opportunity to have their say as a group in advance of the deliberations by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Although the decision was not the one that we had hoped for, the fact that the CCG has added specific conditions to the closure regarding parking, booking appointments online and the telephone service among others, should be welcomed.
I will continue to work with the PPG on their concerns and will hold the CCG to account in ensuring that Stapenhill Medical Centre honours the conditions imposed upon it.”
