NEW HOPE FOR LATE NIGHT SURGERY

23-10-2006

Plans to scrap an all-night doctor's surgery serving a quarter of a million people in south Birmingham could be abandoned after the city's health watchdog demanded an urgent review.

Last week The Stirrer revealed that the popular Katie Road centre was due to close on November 31^st, after the current provider of “out of hours” GP services - a company called South Doc - lost out in the latest round of competitive tendering.

The winning bidder - a health company called Badger - wants to centralise services between 11pm and 8 am in the city centre, at Steelhouse Lane where it already provides for patients from North, West and East Birmingham.

We were contacted by readers concerned that the main users of out of hours services - either the elderly, or parents with young children - would not relish the prospect of a trip into town in the early hours of the morning.

There were also fears that those on the furthest reaches of the city boundary simply wouldn't be able to get there at a time when there's no public transport.

It could mean some patients not getting the urgent attention; and lead to others putting extra pressure on over-stretched A&E departments because they are more local.

Now the chair of Birmingham Council's Health Overview And Scrutiny Committee, Deirdre Alden, is demanding a re-think.

She's summoned South Birmingham Primary Care Trust - who are responsible for commissioning the service - to explain why the change is necessary.

For the Trust this represents a major climbdown.

We've seen a letter to a concerned patient written by their Chief Executive Moira Dummer, who says: “The Overview And Scrutiny Committee were not consulted as the proposed changes do not constitute a substantial variation in the services.”

That's certainly not the view of many of those who have used Katie Road, and other locals with health concerns who in future face a trek into town.

Their attitude that left Cllr Alden fuming: “It rests with the Scrutiny Committee to decide whether there's been a substantial variation. And we have the power to make them reverse it if we think it's wrong.”

Chris Fearns, the commissioning director of the PCT was more conciliatory when we spoke to her on Friday.

She said the Trust was “committed toensuring that out of hours services are of a high quality, accessible and convenient for local people”. As part of that process she said, they had now asked the Scrutiny Committee for their opinion.

Have you ever used the late night surgery in Katie Road? Would its closure affect you? Or is Steelhouse Lane more accessible from South Birmingham? Leave a comment on our messageboard.