Agenda item

The report updates the Committee on work undertaken since the Member item considered by Committee at the August 2018 meeting in relation to the reconfiguration of GP services in Gillingham. This included a proposal to close the Sunlight Centre GP Surgery and the DMC Branch Surgery in Twydall. The report also includes further information in relation to the proposal.

The Committee determined that the proposals amounted to a substantial service reconfiguration and requested that the CCG delay the decision, that had due to be made by the Primary Care Commissioning Committee (PCCC) on 29 August 2018 and that the CCG should commence an extended consultation period.

At the 29 August meeting, the PCCC postponed the decision and agreed to undertake an extended period of engagement with patients, stakeholders and with this Committee. 

Discussion

The Committee was updated on the proposal, discussed extensively at the August 2018 meeting, to reprocure GP service contracts currently spread over five sites as a single contract, with GP provision at three sites. This would have seen the Sunlight Centre in Gillingham closing, with the service relocating to the Balmoral Healthy Living Centre and the closure of the branch surgery at Twydall. Medway NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had undertaken patient engagement with the Committee having determined the proposals to be a substantial development or variation of health services in Medway.

There was a strict timeline for reprocurment with a new contract needing to be put in place to maintain the provision of GP services at these locations after the end of March 2019, irrespective of whether GP services were procured for three or five sites. The Primary Care Commissioning Committee had taken the concerns of the public and the Committee into account and had decided to reprocure services for all five GP sites and to undertake extended public engagement and consultation with regards to future provision. The CCG had been advised that it was not appropriate to undertake engagement and consultation until after the new contracts had commenced. In view of this and the Medway Council elections in May 2019, the decision had been taken to delay engagement until Summer 2019. Any resulting changes to GP provision at the five sites would now not take place until at least April 2020. The CCG would continue to update the Committee at regular intervals throughout the process.

A Committee Member welcomed the announcement that GP services would be reprocured for all five locations and hoped that the Committee and the public would be fully consulted on future proposals. Another Committee Member welcomed the decision, noting that the campaign by the public to retain services demonstrated the strength of feeling locally. She commended the CCG for having taken this and the Committee’s views into account. The Member emphasised the need for all the relevant information to be fully considered and health scrutiny legislation to be fully complied with ahead of future decisions being taken and asked for assurances that services would not be removed from any of the five GP surgeries ahead of a final decision being taken. The Director of Primary Care Transformation at the CCG provided assurance that services would be maintained at all five sites and acknowledged that further work was required if Balmoral Garden was to be able to host additional services in the future.

A Member of the public said that telephone calls to the DMC branch surgery in Twydall were now being redirected to Balmoral Gardens. The Director of Primary Care Transformation was not aware of this change and undertook to investigate further with the GP practice.

Decision

The Committee welcomed the decision made by Medway NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to reprocure services at all five existing GP locations covered by the current contracts and noted that services would continue to be provided at the Sunlight Centre and DMC Branch Surgery in Twydall.

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