What’s happening to Tower Hamlets GPs?

By Carol Saunders for Tower Hamlets Keep Our NHS Public

TOWER HAMLETS Keep Our NHS, together with GPs from the borough’s Local Medical Committee, jointly hosted a really successful public meeting at the Bernie Cameron Community Centre in Bow on Thursday, 14th November.

The theme of the meeting, which was attended by around 20 GPs and a similar number of patients, was, “What’s happening to our GP surgeries?” Everyone in the room began by acknowledging that things have become much worse for GP surgeries, and their patients, over the past few years.

Local GP Dr Jackie Applebee spoke for the doctors, explaining the ongoing collective action that around 80% of England’s GPs are currently taking. Their aim is to get a new general practice contract that is right for patients and fair for GPs. To put things right, the Government will need to address the shortage of GPs, take action on their rising workload and restore funding lost to years of below-inflation budget rises.

Speaking for patients, Carol Saunders from Tower Hamlets KONP shared the key message that campaigners hear from patients – that they are struggling to get access to GP appointments. They’re finding it hard to get through on the phone and they struggle with e-forms. They say it’s too difficult to get an appointment, and they often have to wait a long time.

Women take the platform: Apsana Begum MP, Dr Jackie Applebee and Carol Saunders

Despite this, the vast majority of patients say they are happy with the care they get when they manage to see their doctor. She pointed out that not one has ever suggested they want the kind of large-scale “neighbourhood health service” that Wes Streeting, as Health Minister, seems to want to introduce.

The organisers were really pleased to have Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum as their third speaker. Her reflections on outsourcing and privatisation, and her unwavering support for GPs and patients in the borough, added to the overall message of the meeting, from the panel and the floor – that GPs and patients are on the same side.

GPs and patients in Tower Hamlets have a long history of working together in the borough. Ten years ago, an exhaustive joint campaign saved five practices that faced closure after the planned removal of top-up funding that benefited deprived areas.

●For more information, contact:
Tower Hamlets KONP

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