Agenda item

To advise the Committee of a petition received by the Council which falls within the remit of this Committee.

Discussion

Councillor Freshwater introduced his petition in relation to GP Surgeries for the Hoo Peninsula, the key points of which were as follows:

• The number of GPs in the area was effectively being reduced as significant planning applications in Medway continued to be approved.
• Peninsula residents were becoming increasingly frustrated that the Council was not acknowledging this situation.
• Councillor Freshwater felt that the planning process was ineffective as the Director of Public Health was not highlighting the health impacts and impacts on GP provision of planning applications being considered.
• Medway Council was not responsible for the provision of GPs but it was responsible for improving the health of the local population.
• A third of GPs were due to retire within the next five years and Medway NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had not been able to provide data in relation to this. The Council was, therefore, taking decisions without having the relevant data available.
• Councillor Freshwater considered that the Director of Public Health’s Petition reply did not sufficiently address the issues raised.
• Some Peninsula residents were having to wait two and a half weeks to get a GP appointment. This situation would get worse as new houses were built. One case highlighted was that of a child with Scarlet Fever who had had to wait seven hours to be seen by a GP.
• Public Health had previously collected responses to 36 important questions in relation to health impact assessments but this had been discontinued.

In response, the Director of Public Health said that it took ten years to train GPs and that while Primary care services would be transformed in the future, it was likely that GPs would still be at the centre of this. NHS England and Medway NHS CCG were responsible for commissioning primary care services rather than the Council and the Council had no direct control over the number of GPs serving each part of Medway. The Director had raised concerns about GP provision on a number of occasions and the CCG had outlined processes to mitigate against loss of primary care capacity. This challenge was not unique to Medway. The Medway Joint Strategic Needs Assessment set out the broad requirements for Medway and bespoke work was undertaken in relation to a number of issues that could impact on the local population. A refreshed Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy had also recently been agreed.

Comprehensive dialogue took place with the CCG about how it could be ensured that appropriate resources were provided to meet the expected local increase in population. A dedicated Public Health officer was working with planning to scrutinise and review local development plans. A new Assistant Director had also recently joined the Council. The Director of Public Health would be having discussions with her about how to ensure that future development took into account the impacts on the health of the local population. The challenge was not just in relation to planning, with the Council also being responsible for the provision of infrastructure and green spaces. Achieving and maintaining good health for local people also required an understanding of how to maintain levels of wellness, and provide good quality education and jobs in order to help people to take control of their health and wellbeing. However, the provision of housing was not within the remit of the Director of Public Health.

Health profiles had been developed that covered all wards in Medway, including Peninsula. A bespoke ‘Picture of Medway’ survey would also be undertaken. This would replicate some of the data collected at national level, enabling Medway to access data more frequently.

A Committee Member noted that the CCG had started to consult on the location of proposed new healthy living centres and it was likely that one of these would be on the Hoo Peninsula. However, the Peninsula was currently geographically distant from existing health service provision and public transport was limited. Adequate interim provision was needed until such time as a Healthy Living Centre opened.

The Director of Public Health noted that the NHS was due to set out mitigation plans in January 2019 and that Medway NHS CCG was due to be presenting a report on GP provision in Medway to the January 2019 meeting of the Committee. It was suggested that the concerns highlighted could be raised with the CCG at that meeting.

Members expressed concern that the CCG had not, to date, been able to provide information in relation to the number of local GPs that had retired in the last five years; the number that had replaced these or started work in Medway; the overall reduction in GPs or; the number of GPs that would be required for the size of the Medway population. It was suggested that such information could be obtained from the General Medical Council. Members requested that the CCG be asked to include this information in the report to be presented to the Committee.

Decision

The Committee agreed to defer further consideration of the petition to the January 2019 meeting to align with presentation of a GP Services report by Medway NHS CCG and to enable the relevant data included in this report to be considered in relation to the petition.