Have your say

Published: 02 November 2018

Have your say on the future of Emsworth Survery

A drop-in session on Tuesday 6 November is being held at St John the Baptist Church in Westbourne between 5.30pm and 7.30pm for the public to consider the future of Emsworth Surgery.

GP Partners at the surgery are looking to possibly relocate to a new site to ensure long-term sustainability and to help meet the increasing health needs of a growing population.

The options include moving to a new site at Redlands Lane, moving in to a refurbished Emsworth Victoria Cottage Hospital, finding a new site or remaining at their existing location, which is already too cramped to improve the services that the GPs want to offer their patients.

The two sessions are being held a week apart on:

Tuesday November 6, 5.30pm-7.30pm, Westbourne Parish Church (St John the Baptist’s Church), The Grove, PO10 8UL.
Tuesday November 13, 5.30pm-7.30pm, Slipper Sailing Club’s function room, The Quay, South Street, Emsworth, PO10 7EQ.

The drop-ins are part of an outline business case process that needs to be submitted to NHS England by December 21, 2018.

The information that will be provided at the drop-ins will be available on a dedicated Emsworth Surgery page on the NHS South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group website, via its homepage – www.southeasternhampshireccg.nhs.uk. The dedicated page will include a link to a survey, which will go live on November 6, for people to share their views.

Emsworth GP Dr Abu Chinwala said: “These drop-in events will give residents the chance to hear and comment on the strategic case for change for the Emsworth Surgery and the long-list of options being considered.

“They will involve informal discussions around some display boards – rather than a formal presentation, and give visitors the chance to talk about the next steps with GPs and NHS representatives.

“People will be asked to complete a survey form in which they can give their views and this will be used to help inform the decision-making process.

“We want to hear people’s views. Public support for particular schemes will be a factor in the business case that Emsworth Surgery eventually puts forward to the NHS for consideration.

“But it is important to stress that many other important factors will also have to be considered, particularly whether the options are operationally or financial viable, can be delivered within the tight timescale available and fit in with both national and local NHS policy and commissioning plans for the future of primary care.”

The events are free, there is no need to book in advance, and visitors can attend or leave at any stage of the session.

Another Emsworth GP, Dr William Denby, said: “People who attend near the end of the sessions will receive the same information as those who are there at the start. But we would ask people in advance to be patient if attendee numbers are high. The venues available to us can only take limited numbers at a time.”