Concern at Old Oak Surgery Closure

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Patients may have long journey to White City 'super surgery'

Concerns are being raised that local NHS patients may be losing their local surgery as part of plan by the authorities to consolidate health care in larger facilities.

Patients at the Old Oak Surgery on Old Oak Road had previously been promised that the closure was not permanent. They have been using a surgery on a temporary site on the Uxbridge Road. But local resident, Julia Hunt, who was registered at the surgery, was shocked to see a for sale sign outside the Old Oak Road site. When she contacted the authorities to enquire she was told that the site was being sold.

The surgery fell under the auspices of the Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust but many of the patients live in the Borough of Ealing. Users of the surgery would now face a lengthy journey to the planned replacement facility in White City.

Julia Hunt said of the plans, "Patients want treatment near their homes, for some it is essential. Whilst I fully support improvements to health services in White City, supplementing the cost by closing or moving essential services in an area of equal need is not the way to go about it. This approach makes a mockery out of the government’s initiative to make GP services more accessible".

Hammersmith and Fulham PCT are reportedly planning to consolidate their East Acton and Shepherd's Bush practises at a new state of art health centre in White City. The intention is to offer a wider range of primary care in outside of hospitals with the new Collaborative Care Centres being capable of minor surgery and hosting a range of specialists. The patients on the Old Oak Surgery list would be transferred to this facility.

There are unconfirmed reports that the authorities may be backtracking on the plans following the angry reaction that followed the raising of this matter on the ActonW3.com discussion forum.

Tom Stevenson, spokesman for Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust said: “The Primary Care Trust is in the early stages of drawing up a proposal to develop a new care centre on the site of the old Janet Adegoke leisure centre. An outline planning application to develop the site is yet to be submitted. The PCT has been discussing the plans with residents groups in the area to find out what local people would like in a new care centre. However, there have been no decision made about which local practice might move to this new centre. If planning permission is granted for the development there will be full public consultation on the proposals.”

February 2, 2006