Woolwich town centre surgery to close
A medical centre in the middle of Woolwich town centre is to permanently close impacting 5,400 local residents.
The Clover Health Centre on General Gordon Square is located within the former Woolwich Equitable HQ will shut its doors at the end of September.
The NHS has not renewed a contract and states “We are confident in the capacity of Greenwich GP practices to accommodate the increased number of patients.”
However, in the recent past the NHS has requested funding for improved local heath services when major housing applications have been approved, with Greenwich planners often refusing to meet their requests.
Woolwich is seeing and will continue to see vast numbers of new homes. That includes new towers in Woolwich beside the Thames.
There’s also new homes planned alongside a new leisure centre a minute from the surgery.
Hundreds more will be located opposite the surgery on General Gordon Square.
There’s also around 1,000 proposed nearby at Spray Street.
The centre was unusual in that it was a former walk-in centre converted for GP use.
The NHS conclude:
“After careful consideration, the NHS South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) has decided in the long term interests of patients and the local health and care system, not to extend the contract or initiate a process to find a new provider.
“A formal re-procurement process to identify a new provider was not a viable option due to the small patient list size.
“The 5,400 patients registered live all across the borough, and beyond, and less than 2,000 of the current patients live within a mile of Clover Health Centre.”
How totally ridiculous to close a GP Surgery right where hundreds of new homes are being built with many more planned in the near future. The area also has a large homeless community that require medical attention.
If anything new GP Surgeries and Health Centres should be built to serve growing communities in the area. Otherwise it will put even more pressure on Urgent Care Units which are already overstretched..
The original provider was far better than the service under the current contract.
They provided blood tests on the premises and other useful services and a practice manager who was always visible around the surgery.
When re-tendered they lost out to the current operator and the service went downhill. I’m not surprised at the closure.
I’m not sure if this is true but it is not a reason for the NHS to close a perfectly good health centre that they spent several hundred thousand fitting out only a few years ago. It’s probably some new management with no idea about the concept of a false economy. No wonder the NHS are burning money. Such a waste.
Hello Chris, I am one of the HCAs at the surgery and I can assure you we have blood clinics on sight all week.
Letter of no confidence of the ICS from LMC supporting Clover
To view this email as a web page, go here.
Londonwide Logo
23 May 2023
Dear colleague,
Greenwich LMC statement: Clover Medical Practice closure and list dispersal
Following the press release from South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) regarding the closure of Clover Medical Practice, we are writing to you to clarify the Local Medical Committee (LMC) position.
The Greenwich LMC Chair, together with Primary Care Network Clinical Director representatives and the Greenwich Health GP Federation Chair, made strong representations to the Healthier Greenwich Partnership, disagreeing both with the decision not to extend the Clover Medical Practice contract, and the decision to disperse the list. They argued that significant additional pressures would be put on existing Greenwich practices, both immediately and in the long term, by the influx of additional patients and from predicted future list growth in the area.
Unfortunately, these GP representatives were not able to vote on the matter, due to regulations about conflict of interest.
We note that the press release gives the impression that ALL Greenwich general practices are able and willing to take on the dispersed list, providing the required confidence to the ICB that this dispersal can safely be managed. Whilst some practices may be able to take on more patients, we are aware that the majority of practices will find this extremely challenging, due to current workforce and workload pressures.
This reduction in primary care footprint and primary care estate comes at a time when space for workforce is a pressing issue. A reduction in workforce, both clinical and administrative, will inevitably lead to a poorer patient experience, compounding existing health inequalities in the area. Whenever a practice closes, there may be significant disadvantages for the registered patients, particularly those who are more vulnerable and who rely on easy local access to GP services.
We hope this clarifies the position of the Primary Care voice in Greenwich.
Best wishes,
Dr Tuan Tran, Chair, Greenwich Local Medical Committee
Dr Nayan Patel, Vice Chair, Greenwich Local Medical Committee
Dr Moushumi Baruah
Dr Caroline Hollington
Dr Rebecca Moore
Dr Mary-Clare Parker
Dr Niraj Patel
Dr Atul Sharma
Dr Shikha Singh
Dr Yasmin Rahman
Londonwide LMCs and Londonwide Enterprise Ltd
Tel: 020 7387 2034
Fax: 020 7383 7442
Email:: info@lmc.org.uk
Web: http://www.lmc.org.uk
Twitter:@LondonwideLMCs
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LondonwideLMCs
PS: Make sure that you add us to your ‘safe senders’ list so that these emails do not go to your Junk email box.
Think of the environment – Do you really need to print this e-mail?
Londonwide Enterprise Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Londonwide Local Medical Committees Limited. Registered and office address: Tavistock House South, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9LG. Registered in England No. 6990874. Londonwide Enterprise Limited is registered as a Company Limited by Shares. VAT no: 130 1454 66. Londonwide Local Medical Committees Limited and Londonwide Enterprise Limited do not provide legal or financial advice and thereby excludes all liability howsoever arising in circumstances where any individual, person or entity has suffered any loss or damage arising from the use of information provided by Londonwide Local Medical Committees Limited and Londonwide Enterprise Limited in circumstances where professional legal or financial advice ought reasonably to have been obtained. Londonwide Local Medical Committees Limited and Londonwide Enterprise Limited provide guidance and support to GPs and practice teams in the Londonwide area. Additionally Londonwide Local Medical Committees Limited provides representation to GPs and practice teams in the Londonwide area. Londonwide Local Medical Committees Limited and Londonwide Enterprise Limited strongly advises individuals or practices to obtain independent legal or financial advice.
Londonwide LMCs
Tavistock House South
Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9LG
LMC-Roundal-no-border
Manage Subscriptions | Update Profile | Unsubscribe