Health leaders will face questions from councillors after plans to shut a Burntwood GP surgery next year were unveiled.
Medics based at the Burntwood Health and Wellbeing Centre have been given notice to end their contract to operate from the facility in March 2024.
The move drew criticism from councillors and local residents given no direct replacement surgery is currently operating.
But a spokesperson for the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) said the recent opening of Greenwood Health Centre and another new site nearby due for completion in 2025 meant there would be “no impact on patient care”.
Senior figures from the ICB will now attend a meeting of Lichfield District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee.
Vice chair of the meeting, Cllr Steve Norman, said:
“The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board is the Government’s successor to the Clinical Commission Groups and is responsible for NHS spend and the day-to-day running of the NHS in the region.
“They had announced that Burntwood’s Health and Wellbeing Centre, which is still in a temporary building by the leisure centre, is to close next March, and the5,000 patients ‘dispersed’ before the new permanent building, promised in 2010, is built.
“This is not a good start to the Government’s new system of local NHS structure and the second reorganisation since Primary Care Trusts were abolished.
“They seem to have ignored their own policy on consultations, but I hope they will be able to explain the reason for this. Iam very grateful for my chair, Cllr Mike Wilcox, who has been following this through and invited representatives of the ICB to our meeting.”
Cllr Steve Norman, Lichfield District Council
The meeting on 16th March will be attended by ICB portfolio director Sarah Jeffrey and executive director Chris Bird.
Oh great idea, again burntwood stiffed. New estates, new families, no infrastructure. And now this.
You can’t get an appointment at greenwood for love or money. Disperse to other surgeries? Really? These councillors haven’t tried to get an emergency appointment in Burntwood.
And when are the well women surgeries returning? Been shut down for years.
I have to say it says it all when you read these peoples titles “portfolio director” and “executive director”. There all bl***y overheads. The NHS is creaking and will fall over before long, but these posts will still be safe under a privatised health service. Please wake up everyone we are loosing such a vital part of our lives.
@Local lass – It isn’t the councillors who have made this decision. It’s the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB). Councillors have insisted the ICB come and explain their decision and, knowing the Burntwood Councillors in particular, their will be some pretty robust questioning. I can’t speak for any of the Conservative councillors but the Labour group of Burntwood Councillors are unanimous in there disagreement with the ICB’s decisi0on and their determination to use all avenues possible to have it reversed.
It just shows the Staffordshire and Stoke-on – Trent integrated care board haven’t got a clue, you can’t get into the doctors now, God help us if this happens
From owners of the Council House that is itself closed to the public for dealings with its original purpose and is now nothing more than a cafe stop.
Crazy! just when BHWC is getting their act together. Burntwood continues to be Lichfields poor relation. Interesting they say health centre closes in 2024 yet new facility not open until 2025!