Brierfield Medical Centre wins full-time GP battle (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Brierfield Medical Centre wins full-time GP battle

10:15am Thursday 24th November 2011 in Brierfield By Tyrone Marshall, Reporter

CAMPAIGNERS have won a battle to see permanent GPs installed at a doctor’s surgery.

Patients at Brierfield Medical Centre, in Arthur Street, had raised concerns with a councillor that the practice was being staffed by locum GPs who were not familiar with their medical history.

Coun Naeem Ashraf said he had been inundated with complaints over the past 18 months about the way the surgery was run.

He said: “Patients have struggled to get appointments and when they have it’s always been locums who have no connection with the patients or their medical history.”

But now, following a meeting between Coun Ashraf, health campaigner Azhar Ali and NHS bosses, a second full-time doctor is being recruited for the practice.

The management of the centre, which has more than 3,500 patients, will also be transferred away from the PCT under new Department of Health guidelines, although it will still be funded by the NHS.

A spokesman for NHS East Lancashire said: “The intention is that another permanent GP will be employed at the practice in place of a half-time locum.

"The practice is awaiting the outcome of interviews that have taken place for the second GP post.

“The funding the practice receives for clinical staff is in line with funding that other, independent GP practices in the area receive.”

Coun Ashraf said: “We now finally have recognition from the PCT that they have to provide a better service and our campaign has meant that expressions of interest have now been received from other surgeries and organisations who want to run this surgery.”

Azhar Ali, local health campaigner, said: “We have asked the PCT to involve the patients actively in the procurement process and to keep the local community engaged.

“After all, the service is for the 3,600 patients and the least we deserve is full-time doctors who can build lasting relationships with their patients rather than seeing different locum doctors every time they go, which surely is not good practice nor is it good for the confidence of the local community.”