A decision by bosses at a North Yorkshire clinical commissioning group (CCG) to withdraw funding for minor injury treatment from GP surgeries has been criticised by county councillors.
NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG made the decision to withdraw enhanced minor injuries funding from GP practices earlier this year.
The Minor Injuries Local Enhanced Scheme allowed patients to attend their GP for minor injury treatment rather than travel to a hospital’s A&E department or Urgent Treatment Centre.
Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s Scrutiny of Health Committee today left the CCG in no doubt as to their anger at the move.
Great Ayton’s Cllr Heather Moorhouse (Con) said: “I’m disappointed as the whole ethos is to stop people going to hospital, going to A&E and to have [treatment] locally.
“I’m sorry, but for me, this is a retrograde step and I am totally disappointed. It is not the way we are supposed to be moving.”
Cllr Val Arnold (Con) added that she also was “very unhappy” at the move.
The CCG has restored services to the Central Dales Practice, which has surgeries in Hawes and Aysgarth, and Reeth Medical Centre as it was found that some patients would be more than 25 miles from the next nearest treatment facility.
Lisa Pope, the deputy chief operating officer for Hambleton, Richmondshire
and Whitby CCG admitted the move had not been popular but said the CCG had a “finite” amount of money.
She added that the CCG had been commissioning minor injury care from GPs and as part of its hospital contracts.
“We can’t afford to pay for anything twice,” she told the councillors.
Committee chairman John Ennis (Con) said a number of councillors were “uncomfortable and unhappy” with the move and said that he had concerns that the cut to services would be replicated across North Yorkshire when the planned merger of the county’s three CCGs takes place next year.
Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG has been asked to appear before the committee again in September to update the councillors on how the new model is working and what the feedback has been from patients.
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