GP vows better service in the future for East Lancashire patients (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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GP vows better service in the future for East Lancashire patients
5:00pm Friday 15th June 2012 in Health
By Catherine Pye, Health reporter
PATIENTS will soon benefit from an improved ‘local’ health service, according to the GP leading the new East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Dr Mike Ions has worked in Pendle since 1982 and is based at Pendle View Medical Centre, Brierfield.
He has been elected to head the body replacing the East Lancashire PCT in April 2013, which will see GPs commission services for patients directly.
Dr Ions said: “Patients won’t notice a difference at first, but over two or three years we hope there will be a big improvement.
“We want clinicians to look at delivering services locally. We want fewer people travelling outside the area or to large district hospitals.
“To achieve this, for example, the CCG is now working with the hospital trust to develop tele-healthcare, where patients with respiratory problems can do their own routine health diagnostic tests at home and send the results to the hospital via telephone or secure internet.
“GPs are much more in tune with patients wishes and are better at getting general feedback – PCTs can seem very remote.”
The changes, brought in under the Health and Social Care Bill, have been criticised by bodies including the Royal Colleges of GPs, Nurses, Midwives and the British Medical Association. But Dr Ions said that the feeling in East Lancashire was ‘very positive’.
He said: “All 65 surgeries in East Lancashire have signed up to become members of the CCG and the doctors I speak to are embracing the change.
“We want to be responsive to the individual needs of the patient, and there will be differences in services in areas depending on the population’s need, though the delivery of core services will be the same nationally.”
East Lancashire CCG will be one of the largest in the country, serving 370,000 patients with a budget of £450million – the same commissioning budget as the PCT has now.
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Comments (1)
6:58pm Fri 15 Jun 12
mavrick says...
His own statements are somewhat contradictory. PCTs seem remote, That's because they are. but this was sold to us a package of concentrating expert skills in large centres, what happened Dr Ions? we all knew what would happen but did those in charge listen, err no.
He says all 65 surgeries have signed up. Did they have a realistic choice? Why are GPs and other health professionals against this nonsense is there not a clue there, You have said these people are in tune with patients wishes. Your very selective weasel worded patronising statements, simply serve to reinforce the belief that you and your team are nothing more than hatchet men of the Tory privatisation plan. If you were a proper Doctor along with the team you could all help deliver the services by returning to the job you were trained to do. If not just pay back the money the NHS invested in your training and development and go and do another job because you are not qualified to do this one, I don't believe any medical people should be considered suitable for this political role. The CCG will not benefit the people of this are one bit, to say they will not notice any difference is totally untrue, This is being felt now, the drip effect of growing waiting lists and longer time spans between appointments to see consultants are already taking their toll. I find it a little convenient that you say the changes won't really be noticed for two or three years, perhaps there is an election looming.
So if you really push hard you could put the NHS beyond recovery, Do your worst but don't patronise us as well.