Local people are being urged to have their say on proposals to relocate some outpatient clinics from Handforth Clinic in a public consultation which started this week.
East Cheshire NHS Trust offers outpatient appointments with some consultants at Handforth Clinic, alongside a range of community healthcare services such as district nursing and physiotherapy.
Both Handforth Clinic and the adjacent Handforth Health Centre belong to the GP partners based at the building. In recent years, the part of the building used by East Cheshire NHS Trust to provide both outpatient clinics and to accommodate community health services, such as district nursing, has been let to the trust under a complex agreement involving multiple partners. The trust's existing lease expires in October 2017 and the trust faces a significant increase in costs from October if it is to keep all the space it currently occupies.
The trust is proposing to retain the majority of its community services at Handforth but relocate the consultants' clinics to its own sites in Macclesfield, Congleton and Knutsford when their lease expires in October 2017.
The proposals, which would involve no reduction in overall capacity and availability of appointments for these services, would affect just over 1000 local residents.
Services which the trust intends to move from Handforth Health Centre include:
- Orthopaedics (to Macclesfield);
- Rheumatology (to Knutsford);
- Gynaecology (to Macclesfield);
- Urology (to Macclesfield);
- Respiratory Medicine (to Knutsford);
- General Surgery (To be confirmed);
- Breast Surgery (to Macclesfield);
- Paediatrics (to Oakenclough Children's Centre, Colshaw Farm);
- Audiology (to Macclesfield);
- Plastic Surgery (to Congleton);
- Midwifery (to Oakenclough Children's Centre, Colshaw Farm);
- Community Dental (to Weston Dental Clinic, Macclesfield).
Services which the trust intends to keep at Handforth Health Centre, subject to final negotiations with partners, include:
- Community Nursing Services
- Epilepsy Clinic
- Physiotherapy
- Continence
- Cardio Respiratory Diagnostics
- Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy
- Parkinson's Clinic
- Heart Failure Clinic
- Weight Management
- Anti-coagulant Clinic
- GP Out-of-Hours
The trust's consultation document on the issue can be accessed here.
Printed copies have also been distributed at community venues in and around the Handforth area and shared with patient groups.
The consultation is set to run until Sunday, September 3rd, after which the trust will assess responses from patients, members of the public and stakeholders.
It is important to note that no final decisions have been made in relation to the proposals. The trust is encouraging everyone with an interest in the issue to take part in the consultation.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
*slow sarcastic hand clap for Cheshire East Council*
Cheshire East Council are clueless and need a kick up the backside in order for them to realise the urgent need to stop building more houses and to address the school, doctor and other shortages we have here in the borough. Cllr Toni Fox was totally correct in what she said this week relating to the Little Stannylands Development in relation to the local housing planning and what residents should be doing to stop the influx of unnecessary housing.
Secondly included in the the list of services to be relocated is Urology, however on Tuesday this week I met a gentleman from Poynton who had had to come to Knutsford for his Urology appointment although the `list` says such services will be re-located in future to Macclesfield.
During our chat the gentleman who did not know Knutsford at all said the journey by road had been confusing. and time consuming. He had not attempted to come from Poynton to Knutsford using public transport, as in view of poor provision it would have been difficult to reach Knutsford in time for his morning appointment.
The ideas to re-locate health care services seem to be driven by the need to save money, without considering the consequences for patients.
As to submitting our comments I raised questions when the East Cheshire NHS was set up. Got an emailed reply - that the person dealing with it had changed and my questions had been passed on for a response. Years later - never had a response. I suspect that this "consultation" is much like the last one.
I know that the NHS is not the same as Cheshire East, but the level at which services are being withdrawn, often with a nod to old numbers of homes in the area dating back to 2000, and the level at which new houses and business sites are developed on the other site beggars believe.
We are rapidly heading for a infrastructure meltdown, with medical, educational and leisure services being even less able to cope than the traffic infrastructure that is presumably supposed to absorb all extra journeys that all this will require.
Everybody bar Cheshire East seems to be able to put one and one together, but not the people who are supposed to make 'informed decisions'.
Please, everybody go and add your opinion to the consultation, it would be good if common sense prevailed - just once.
All this sends vibes that the CCG at Macclesfield is over-staffed and the CQC should question their internal spending on their next inspection.
Handforth lost a valuable resource in Cypress House without any replacement considered. The system needs a shakeup. There are too many cosy corners for NHS Management. Cutting tiers of management seems long overdue and would save vital funds.
R J Walker