GPs hit out over review

The figures are incomplete and could lead to bias, it is claimed.

The review is looking at the county’s four MIUs in Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Whitchurch and Oswestry and community beds.

Figures from the review say the number of attendances at MIU’s are relatively low - less than one patient per hour in some units.

There were 3,757 visits to Ludlow MIU last year of which 75 per cent of patients who attended did not require any diagnostic tests other than a clinical examination. The figures also show that this year Ludlow MIU has been closed on five occasions due to staffing shortages.

A statement on behalf of the partners of Portcullis and Station Drive Surgery in Ludlow said: “We feel this discussion is premature as the data used in this working document is still incomplete and can be potentially misleading and may lead to bias.

“A number of requests have been made to the CCG to improve the data so that it is more accurate, more representative and less subject to potential bias and many of our requests have been ignored. We believe that statistics and data in the document are being used in a misleading and biased way in order to favour the closure of some or all community hospitals. We do not feel that the views of all doctors in the group or their suggestions for improvement have been acted upon.

“Therefore we are considering potentially disengaging with the group as we have lost confidence in the CCG’s ability to be fair and unbiased in their documentation.”

However Shropshire health bosses have insisted the review is not about cutting services.

Dr Simon Freeman, accountable officer of the Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The NHS cannot cut services. It is more about efficiency than cost cutting. We launched the review due to some of the services we have were poorly commissioned. We have a rapidly ageing population and we are in deficit. So things need to change to be sustainable for the future.”

Tracey Huffer, councillor for Ludlow East, said: “Reform of local health services is essential as costs escalate and budgets are squeezed but the CCG hasn’t listened to local GPs.

“The first stage of any consultation has to be with clinical professionals. That hasn’t happened. That makes the proposed CCG consultation deeply flawed.

“The board of the CCG must start again by working with local GPs, as we have as councillors, to establish a new model of community health care services that works for the rural areas of the county.”

Dr Finola Lynch, GP member of Shropshire CCG, said the review was a ‘working document’ and further consultation was planned.

She said: “We have no pre-judgement. We want to talk to staff and patients to feed the information back into our review.”