OPINION: Health Matters - call for "fair funding" for healthcare in Leighton Buzzard

The Patient Survey (5393 respondents & 8347 comments) analysis was presented to the decision-makers (June ’23) with an URGENT BIG PLAN & ACTION plea. We still await 'The Outline Business Case', which precedes plans for medical facilities! It will now appear in May ’24 after a year of costly discussions with no sign of ‘concrete’ progress. Our increasing population is still awaiting timely appointments whilst NHS professionals, doing their very best are frustrated and worn-down by insufficient rooms to work in. Our health provision, was deemed inadequate by the majority of patients – not on quality of care, but on local premises and resources for services and clinics, which could and should be here for patients in Leighton Buzzard.

When will a PERMANENT and future proofed comprehensive medical facility/Hub with sufficient capacity for our expanding town and good bus-access/car parking, appear? When will even a TEMPORARY Hub for minor injuries triage, diagnostics and clinics be available in our town centre? Surely, there are sufficient empty buildings whilst we wait for a permanent one to be planned and built and patients need a walk-in health facility NOW?!

This question has been asked many times by us patients, councilors and MP, Andrew Selous, was asking it again in Parliament recently. The Integrated Care Board personnel maintain they cannot refurbish old buildings – so as they have no money for new in Leighton Buzzard, we are left with virtually nothing!! The ICB assurances of providing “extra rooms” in their recent update amounts to one and a bit rooms! More and welcome appointments have been created, but actually amount to twenty with GP Services Staff on each weekday across three surgeries!

However, there is some light in this long dark tunnel!

Andrew Selous has now discovered that. “The Premises Costs Directions 2013 does allow the NHS to support the use of temporary premises for primary care service delivery which meet the Minimum Standards Schedule.” We knew it!

He, local councillors and we must now actively pursue this in addition to our focus on the fair allocation of NHS funding for Healthcare in our town.