DOCTOR'S ORDERS

16-11-2006

Plans to force South Birmingham residents to head into town to see an “out of hours” doctor have been scrapped following The Stirrer's intervention. A late night surgery which currently operates in Selly Oak is being replaced, but health watchdogs are insisting a suitable replacement must be put in place.

Out of hours or off-peak GP services in the area are currently provided by a company called SouthDoc, but they lost out in a recent tender bid to Badger healthcare who already operate in other parts of the city.

Badger wanted to concentrate their late night consultations at Steelhouse Lane in the city centre, and tried pushing the change through without asking permission Birmingham Council's health scrutiny committee. They argued that the change did not amount to a “substantial variation” in the existing service.

Stirrer readers begged to differ, and we were inundated with complaints from patients who had found the current SouthDoc set up in Katie Road helpful and accessible. There were concerns that going into the middle of Birmingham in the early hours of the morning might be more dangerous and, for people without public transport, impossible.

After we kicked up a fuss, Badger backtracked and submitted their plan to the scrutiny committee after all, and the two parties have now come to agreement.

The healthcare company will press ahead with plans to close the Katie Road centre but have to either open a similar surgery in the area or come up with a suitable alternative.

Councillor Deirde Alden who chairs the committee said: “That could mean people who need to be seen by a doctor in South Birmingham having a car sent to take them to town, or a doctor might be sent to them.

“What we won't tolerate is a reduction in the quality of service that we had before.”