After the announcement that Farrier House GP Surgery was to close, the Liberal Democrats have been making efforts to understand the underlying issues. The Lib Dems launched a petition that gained closed to 200 signatures and consulted with healthcare experts to explore options for saving the practice.
Cllr Jessie Jagger, a City Councillor and patient of the practice, said, “We spoke to a member of the House of Lords and some independent health care experts to explore options we could push for. We had a meeting with Simon Trickett, CEO of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and his team. We came armed with research and options. Unfortunately, it became clear that the ICB staff had already exhausted most of these avenues. It also became clear that long-term work is needed to prevent other practices from suffering a similar fate.”
The Lib Dem team has also reached out to Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester which is already doing a great deal to address these issues, but because of the LibDem interaction, new ideas have emerged and the ICB has promised to work with the university to explore this.
Mel Allcott, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, said, “flaws in the funding formula, particularly in Worcester, have placed undue stress on GP practices. GP funding allocations are based on assumptions that don’t always align with the needs of our community or keep up with changes in demand, making challenging for practices to remain attractive and sustainable.”
Lib Dem research has further revealed that many patients wait at least 4 weeks to see a GP.
Sir Ed Davey, commenting on the analysis, remarked, “Millions of people are being left anxious or waiting in pain because they can’t get an appointment with their GP.”
Paul Jagger, a patient, and Libdem campaigner said “I am very disappointed by the closure of our local GP practice, especially considering that our area is underfunded. The disproportionately high young demographic in the city centre clashed with the GP funding formula, making it challenging for practices like ours to thrive. So, we need a re-evaluation of the formula to ensure Worcester gets what it needs when it needs it”.
