Prescription to kill polyclinics

Cameron could be right you know.

South Shields is blessed with a number of very good health centres where groups of GPs offer a number of services including nurse practitioners, specialist clinics, physiotherapy, and counselling sessions etc. We also have a mix of general (single) GP surgeries that see, perhaps, fewer patients. However, it is accepted that these facilities are few and far between in the outlying estates necessitating a journey towards the busier parts of town for many people.

I fear that the government’s plan to introduce giant “polyclinics” could see many of the smaller GP surgeries disappearing altogether, and for people in villages or smaller townships this could be a great inconvenience. I do not see it likely that places like East and West Boldon, Cleadon Village, Whitburn or Marsden, and Biddick Hall would get one of these “polyclinics” built within their midst, and they would all find themselves having to make longer journeys to see the doctor.

Therefore I think that David Cameron, the Conservative leader is right to oppose the plan as it could have terrible effects upon smaller communities who have already seen the loss of their local post office, local pub, local shops, and local police station. It’s another statist corporatist plan to provide bigger and better because they know what is best for us - and choice isn’t what is best!

Dr. John Crippen writes further in Centre Right illustrating the difficulties in staffing the proposed “polyclinics” and outlining his fears that it will lead to a two tier health system with the poorest suffering most, once again.

” If that is what the people of this country want, then so be it. As long as you know what you are going to lose.”

It makes you wonder if Labour has almost given up fighting for the hard pressed in society!

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