Agenda item

The Panel will hear evidence from the following organisations:

·        Jenny Privett from Haringey Disabled Association (formerly Haringey Consortium of Disabled People and Carers, HCDC).

·        Derma Ioannou from Haringey Racial Equalities Council.

·        Haringey Association of Voluntary and Community Organisations (HAVCO) will submit a written response to the Panel.

·        Sue Hessel and Linda Lennards, Better Local Health Care.

Sue Hessel and Linda Lennard, Better Local Health Care

A presentation was made by representatives.  A summary of the main issues raised are provided below:

·        There was broad concern at the overall lack of consultation and the absence of a defined consultation process for the Primary Care Strategy. 

·        There were elements of the consultation document which contained a lot of unnecessary jargon, which would not be clear and understandable to lay people.  This would inhibit peoples ability to engage with and respond to the consultation.

·        It was felt that the PCT needed to encourage public participation earlier within the consultation to give people time to understand and respond to issues presented within the strategy.  Poor early engagement has been exacerbated by the decision to hold the consultation through the summer months.

·        There was a need to involve local community groups more in to the consultation process.  A number of groups had indicated that they had thus far felt excluded from the consultation process.

·        It was felt that questions set out in the consultation document were not clear or too vague to enable people to provide meaningful responses to the strategy.

·        The consultation also provided no options for the public to appraise in that there were no alternatives provided to the super health centre model.

·        Further data was required as to the likely impact that Primary Care Strategy proposals may have on vulnerable groups such as the disabled or with long-term medical conditions.

·        Further clarification was needed as how comments obtained from the consultation would be analysed, what arrangements were in place to feedback the results of the consultation to those who had contributed and if there would be further opportunities to comment on any amended plans.

A copy of the presentation given by the Better Local Health Care is attached for information.

Representative from HAVCO                 

A representative from HAVCO was not able to attend the meeting.  A written response to the Primary Care Strategy is expected.  This will be circulated when this is received.

Jenny Privett, Haringey Disabilities Association

·        Disabled people and their carers face considerable problems in accessing GPs in Haringey.  There are issues around the physical accessibility of services, the adequacy of transport systems to get people to services and the availability of services.

·        There was also a concern among disabled people and their carers about the level of service available at surgeries with lengthy waiting times to get an appointment and limited time for consultations.

·        In respect of the Primary Care Strategy, the proposals for super health centres raised clear access issues for disabled people. As transport to services was currently difficult, there was a concern that transport problems would become more difficult with the further distance that people may have to travel to new super health centres.  As such, there was a need for further clarification within the strategy as to how transport would be provided for services to those that had mobility problems.

·        Disabled people may have multiple and complex health needs which may have been understood and dealt with by their local GP for a considerable period of time.  Therefore, there was a concern that proposals for super health centres may diminish the continuity of care received by disabled people, as they may not have access to the same GP who is familiar with their medical history and health needs. 

·        As disabled people may need to utilise a range of primary and community health facilities, there was uncertainly as to how they would access this broader range of services within proposals set out in the strategy.

·        A number of concerns were raised about the consultation process for the Primary Care Strategy.  Firstly, documentation produced to support the strategy was felt to be inaccessible.  This needed to be clearer to enable people to fully participate in the consultation process.  Secondly, there was an explicit need to involve community groups further than had been done so to date.

Derma Ioannou, Haringey Racial Equality Council  

Derma Ioannou was not able to attend the meeting.  A written response to the Primary Care Strategy is expected.  This will be circulated when this is received.