COLUMN: Health Matters
THE HEALTH MATTERS CAMPAIGN IS STEPPING UP! Our logo/banner represents patients needing local services and staff needing sufficient workspace. It urges everyone to STOP to consider our fast-growing, ageing population’s need for a fair share of NHS funding, facilities and services – this matters to us all and to our children.
When poorly, we are vulnerable and require local support, but priority is given to neighbouring towns. Our ‘low usage’ count, for example, from avoiding A&E, as we cannot get there, downgrades us again. So we are low priority because we are not disadvantaged enough and then disadvantaged as we cannot access distant help!
Good local healthcare provision is vital. Residents’ individual health challenges are often compounded with age. Navigating complex needs, mobility and transport challenges, loss of independence and, for many, a range of other difficulties particularly if they have no local family or practical support is hard. Even when well supported, being reliant on others is not easy.
Unfortunately, there’s not even a Minor Injuries service locally for falls and non-emergency treatment or even out-patient clinics to minimise patient travel and pressures on A&E. Demands on our excellent healthcare staff and voluntary transport far surpass availability. Funding is mainly for hospital development and we don’t have one of those or a Medical Hub either!
One positive is that the Primary Care Network’s recruitment of paramedics, phlebotomists, physiotherapists, social prescribers etc., has improved response times for a percentage of non-GP appointments and we can self-refer to some via our GP Surgery. Appointment slots, if not used may disappear so please do spread the word.
Finally, all professional staff need and deserve consulting rooms and the current lack is non-sustainable. This is no way to respect current NHS professionals and attract more, so we still have high hopes of the Integrated Care Board’s long-awaited Outline Business Plan post General Election!
In the meantime we are stepping up the campaign to make it even higher profile. Help us to help you. Look out for posters, flyers and QR codes and get involved this summer.