Health

Plans to locate a drug treatment centre (including a needle exchange) have now been abandoned. Due to the hard work of local residents and volunteers, Camden Council received more than 200 objections. However, there is still the possibility of another site in the immediate area being chosen for the proposed centre. George Lee has written to the Council and stated clearly that it should find a suitable location, away from local schools and businesses, and preferably on a main road or within an existing medical facility.

He said, “Nobody is opposed to the principle of a drug treatment centre but proper thought needs to be given to the location. These types of facilities do create an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour, as I found out during my time in the Metropolitan Police. The Council should spend as long as it takes to come up with a sensible proposal.”

Plans to close the A&E Department at Whittington Hospital have been strongly criticised by Prospective MP for the Holborn & St Pancras constituency, George Lee. NHS Bosses in Camden have put together four options for the future of hospital services across the whole of North London. All four involve the loss of the A&E Department at Whittington Hospital. More than 80,000 patients are currently treated here every year. In future they will be forced to travel either to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead or the University College London Hospital. The move has been described by the President of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Iona Heath, as “crazy.”

George said, “This is yet another example of an unaccountable and unelected NHS organisation taking away local services against the wishes of residents. Tens of thousands of people use the A&E Department at Whittington every year. Where are they expected to go? It will create an intolerable burden on existing services at the Royal Free and University College London, which are already overstretched. People will be expected to travel further to receive urgent treatment. I would ask the Trust to go back to the drawing board and withdraw these proposals immediately.”

We’re all potential patients. So the introduction of polyclinics across the constituency should worry us all. A mix of local GP surgeries and polyclinics and a safeguard of services offered by hospitals is the best way to go.

But Camden PCT is ploughing ahead regardless, asking business to tender for building and running them. They should stop. We need a thorough and transparent public consultation to hear local residents’ views before anything else happens.

1,700 family GP surgeries across England will close as a result of Labour’s plans. 150 polyclinics will be developed in London. £1.5billion has been set aside by Labour to roll out polyclinics, money better spent on improving GP surgeries.

Research has shown that patient experience will be impacted by the impersonal service offered by polyclinics. On average we will all have to travel three times further to see our GP. Who uses them most? Those least able to speak out.

Our priority must be on the quality of patient care and successful clinical outcomes above anything else.

Addressing constituents at a public meeting held in Redhill Street to discuss the future of polyclinics, including whether they should be privately run.