New Health Centre for Saxmundham

April 2005 update

The Suffolk Coastal Primary Care Trust rejected the One Stop Shop project at their April board meeting in the Market Hall, Saxmundham on Wednesday 27th April 2005.

March 2005 update

UPDATE ON SAXMUNDHAM HEALTH ONE STOP SHOP
Over 200 people turned out on a snowy February 23rd at the Riverside Centre, Stratford to attend the Suffolk Coastal PCT Board meeting. This was the meeting at which it had been publicly announced that the Board were going to make the decision about the Saxmundham proposal. The Chairman put this reason  forward for not attending the public meeting in the Market Hall. However the Agenda was changed during the previous week and the long awaited Business Case on the Northern Area was removed and only a discussion not a decision was to be allowed on the future of the Saxmundham project. Understandably this caused a lot of consternation and the Chief Executive made the unprecedented decision to allow the local MP to take over the first part of the meeting. For two hours John Gummer took questions from the public and directed them to the PCT Officers. A further apology was issued by Carole Taylor-Browne and a commitment to work with the Practice so that a FINAL decision could be taken at the April meeting. A Non-Executive Board member insisted that the Officers should advise the Board in March if there was any reason at all that might prevent a final April decision. The Board went on to consider whether they should approve the stripping out of the clinics and enhanced services from Saxmundham and moving them to Aldeburgh Cottage Hospital so that more core service could be provided at the current Surgery. The paper suggested that Aldeburgh should be classed as a One Stop Shop but this was rebuked by public and Board alike and was not approved. Pete Rowberry announced to all that the Brook Farm Residents Association were seriously looking at launching a Judicial Review about the decision making process that led to Saxmundham being the bottom of the six projects thereby losing out on the Government funding of last December.

We now find ourselves in the last preparatory phase before what must now surely be the final decision in April. We have met the new Finance Director Julian Herbert along with Anne Taylor the Clinical Director and there does seem to be a more positive sense of purpose. In the present financial climate, it seems likely that there will be a further reduction in the area rented to the PCT but the detail is yet to be discussed. We hope, after all this time, to gain the approval of Carole Taylor-Brown and the other Officers of the PCT so that the Board can give the official approval to proceed in April. The Officers seem less attracted to the Birthing Unit and, at the time of writing, do not seem keen to pursue this valuable adjunct to the One Stop Shop. We will continue to try to persuade either the PCT or Ipswich Hospital to take this on as we are convinced it will both save money and be a great local asset. It is very rare for patient choice, better outcomes and saving money to go together in the NHS but this is just what we have in the Saxmundham Birthing Unit. Common sense seems to suggest that co-location with the Ambulance Station, the Out of Hours Base and even the Nursery would be sensible to say nothing of the Clinics, the Children's Centre and even the Café. A Birthing Unit would be new to Suffolk and two Birthing pools are planned. National evidence shows it to be safe with dramatic reductions in interventions like Caesarian sections and forceps as well as better breast-feeding rates and lower post-natal depression. We have to fight the argument on the financial case as qualitative benefits sadly take second place.

We are on the last lap now but still need a surge of power if we are to make the line!
All the Partners would like to take this opportunity to thank all the residents and patients who have consistently promoted this vision as it would just not have been possible to get this far without your enduring support. We hope some of you will be able to attend the 'final' meeting on Wednesday 27th April.

January 2005 update

Following a very successful meeting on Thursday 13th January, the One Stop Health Shop featured on the Politics Show on BBC1 at 12:30pm on Sunday 16th January.

Dear Saxmundham Resident,

You probably will have read in the paper or seen on BBC News that our plans for a new One Stop Shop have been abandoned by the Chief Executives of the Suffolk Primary Care Trusts. They tell us that they are following the recommendation of the County Premises Group who are working to a 'robust' scoring system that assesses each project around the County fairly. However they admitted that they did not take account of the training that takes place in Saxmundham particularly of Inger, the Nurse Practitioner, and Stuart who is the Emergency Care Practitioner trainee. They also said that we were not over-crowded and yet neither seem to have taken account of the nine hospital clinics that are time-tabled nor the clinics for Health Visitor, Nursery Nurse, Midwife or Community Psychiatric Nurse.


After over three years of work with Social Care and other partners we cannot just accept this decision which has been made confidentially and cannot be appealed against. Our project has already been published in the NHS's own magazine 'Primary Care' as an example of excellence and has also won a grant for the Nursery worth £267,000 and so must be held in high regard in certain quarters. How can we have central acclaim and yet local rejection?


We need to put pressure onto the Department of Health to get them to exert some influence over the PCT. To this end it is very worthwhile writing to the Health Secretary Dr John Reid at Richmond House, 79, Whitehall, London SW1A 2NL . If enough people complain then they will respond in the same way that the people of Sudbury reversed a decision to close Walnut Tree Hospital.


Please drop a line with your Christmas 'thank you' letters and either let us know at the Surgery or give us a copy so we are aware of what size of response has been generated!


Thank you and don't forget, it is your future Health and Social Care provision that is being decided here.

John Havard, Paul Murphy, Julie Evans, Mike Hamblyn, Hilary Dunn

The Surgery Lambsale Meadow Saxmundham Suffolk IP17 1AS
Charity no. 1051772 (Associated with Suffolk Social Services)

October 2004 update

A further step has been taken towards obtaining the financial commitment from the NHS which would allow the One Stop Shop development to enter the building stage. At a meeting earlier this month, the Chief Executives of the five Suffolk Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) agreed to fund around 70% of the total costs of the General Practice part of the building, albeit with a few design modifications.

The implications of this are:

1. We need to redraw the plans to allow a phased approach to the General Practice component, with Phase 1 being a little more compact than in current plans. The architects have made a start on this process and we expect to agree details with the Suffolk-wide Premises Group shortly.

2. The Practice has drawn up Business Cases for some of the additional areas, such as the Birth Centre, which show that savings can be made in the shift of some work from the acute Hospitals to the One Stop Shop. The PCT has now to ratify these Business Cases.

3. Market research is being carried out on the potential users of the Training and Education Suite to try to estimate future income. This suite is planned as comprising a very large meeting / training room, plus two smaller "break out" rooms, and would be available to hire in part or whole by local businesses and the community.

Enquires regarding the Training & Education Centre should be directed to Jan Cameron via email jan@prof2u.com or by ringing Hollie Farthing at the Surgery.

Background & History of the 'One-stop shop'

Why a new health centre?
Even with our current list size, we have inadequate space. With the large number of new homes going up in the area, this problem can only get worse.

We urgently need rooms for:
• an additional GP
• an additional nurse
• our attached paramedic
• the District Nurses and other attached staff to see patients
• additional Hospital Outreach clinics

Our Dispensary is also too small - limiting the number of people who can work there at any given time - and many of you have commented on the over-crowded Car Park.

What is being proposed?

After consultation with all those who work here, with patients, with Suffolk Coastal PCT and with other local services, we concluded that what Saxmundham needs is a "One-Stop Shop", to incorporate as many local health and social services as possible. Thus we would like to include:

• Dentists
• Opticians
• Physiotherapists
• Complementary Therapists
• Playgroup & crèche
• Suffolk Doctors on Call base
• Ambulance Station
• Social Services

The the current plan is available in the Waiting Room.

We wish to incorporate a large car park, and have special Disabled bays and drop-off points. By housing these services under one (long!) roof, we firmly believe that patients will benefit considerably.

Where will the new centre be built?

We have investigated 13 potential sites within the immediate area, but in most cases have met with insurmountable problems. Some plots are too small, others too expensive; some have poor access, others - while seeming ideal - have been earmarked for other purposes.

The plot for which we have put in a planning request is the area bordered by North Entrance and the Sports Club, just to the North and West of our present premises.

This area was densely planted with conifers, grown as a cash crop and recently felled. The fencing along North Entrance is dilapidated, and the plot was littered and unsightly. Many local residents have expressed concern about walking past it in the evening.

This site has several advantages:
• Access to it by car is excellent; the roadway is straight and limited to 30 m.p.h.
• It is not far from the town centre for pedestrians, and is on the side of town which has seen most new development.
• It is well situated for Kelsale residents, who form a large percentage of our patients.
• There is good access from the site for Suffolk Doctors, and for the Ambulance station.
• It would provide a comfortable and peaceful location for both patients and staff.

Public opinion can sway the planners. Individually phrased and written letters have more impact than letters written to a template, and so we would very much appreciate it if you could write to express your (hopefully positive!) views and give reasons why you support the choice of site. Some possible reasons are mentioned above. Please ensure you include the Planning Reference Number.

Thank you very much indeed for your assistance.

Dr John Havard & Partners
The Surgery
Lambsale Meadow
Saxmundham
IP17 1AS
Tel: 01728 602022.

I have slightly updated the above report but it still refers to the outline planning application. A detailed application (C03/2047) was approved by Suffolk Coastal Distrct Council on 4th April 2004.

John Fisher.

Saxmundham Town Council. 4th April 2004.