Clinic/ Community forum

I went along to the community forum last week. I missed a couple of meetings but I knew the messenger from our PCT had been invited and I wanted an update for our clinic campaign. Well surprise surprise he sent an apology with a brief report that told us nothing new but reading between the lines everything. I think it’s appalling the way they are treating the people of our area. We are after all their customers. Two meetings are to take place, a feasibility meeting on using our preferred option of the Tanhouse Community Centre and a meeting with all the Doctors from our area. Without patient/local political involvement both of these meetings can be manipulated to give biased results. A discussion is also going on with neighbouring PCT re their plans to build a clinic in the Aston/Handsworth area. This option is what we believe to be the preferred one by Sandwell PCT because it moves the problem across the border and gets rid of the 3years late position which our facility now is. It must not be allowed to happen. We want a patient & local political presence at all meetings and reassurances that the local clinic funded and run by Sandwell is the preferred choice. The Chair of Sandwell PCT is to be invited to next meeting. In the meantime we need to keep the pressure on. Time I think to start planning for stage two of our campaign.
Interesting footnote. The leader of the Tories commented that in his ward at Yew Tree a clinic had been built and was now operational and it had happened whilst ours was still being talked about.