Opposition grows to Government plans to close local GPs in Bolton

 Impersonal polyclinics will mean further to travel to local doctor

Local people across Bolton face having to travel three times as far to visit their local doctor, Andy Morgan, Councillor for Hulton Ward and Chairman of Bolton Councils Health Scrutiny Committee warned this week. This has emerged from a detailed analysis of Government plans to introduce ‘polyclinics’ across England whether local residents want them or not.

Government Ministers want to replace local GPs’ surgeries with super-surgeries. 1,700 family doctor surgeries could be closed down across England. 90 per cent of NHS care is administered by GPs.

·          London is being used as the test bed for these severe GP cuts. Currently, the average local GP in London is under half a mile away - but the Government has admitted that this will more than treble to 1.5 miles once its planned 150 polyclinics are introduced.

·          If the same approach was replicated across the country, the average family doctor could be more than three miles away. In Bolton, GP surgeries are currently an average of 0.7 miles away. Under Government plans, this could increase to 2.3 miles. The elderly, infirm and young families will suffer the most from these increased journey times.

Cllr Morgan remarked ““I am very concerned that the Governments planned cuts to GP services will mean local residents will have to travel further to see their local doctor when they are ill. Concern has also been expressed to me by members of the public that these polyclinics will also be impersonal, breaking the valued link between patients and their family doctor.  I question if the government cares about the social value of keeping services local.”