The South Warwickshire Local Plan Issues and Options consultation is running until 6th March 2023.  Information on how you can make your views heard are on the poster below.

This communication concerns the provision of GP and other health services as part of the new Upper Lighthorne development of 3,000 houses. As such, it affects us all, whether you live in Upper Lighthorne or in one of the neighbouring villages, especially one with an existing doctors' surgery such as Fenny Compton. 

We have recently become aware that the provision of GP services for Upper Lighthorne is not a settled matter. Proposals are actively being considered that would not provide any GP services in Upper Lighthorne, but instead require residents to register at existing practices in neighbouring villages, including those in Fenny Compton and Kineton.

Avon  Dassett Parish Council, along with 21 other parish councils and meetings, have come together under the name South Warwickshire Health Matters (SWHM) with a common purpose, to encourage the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) to make the vital decisions that will affect future health provision in all of our communities. We have the support of district and county councillors, and our MP. 

SWHM have compiled a statement of joint objectives for GP and health services which we include below. We ask that you complete the ICB survey intended to help them make the appropriate decisions. The survey is open until Wednesday 14th December and can be found online at: 

http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ULPrimarycaresurvey

If you would prefer to complete a paper survey please contact the chair (Trevor Gill: adpc.chair@icloud.com or by mobile: 07775 762927) who will be happy to provide one. 

By publicising this survey SWHM are not endorsing the survey or the manner in which the ICB are going about their business.They have concerns, some of which are covered in an article in a recent Stratford Herald which you can read at:

http://lighthornepc.uk/health/herald.html

We will communicate further on this in due course, but for the moment we would encourage you to complete the ICB survey. 

South Warwickshire Health Matters – Statement of Objectives

1. No resident of Upper Lighthorne should have to travel outside of Upper Lighthorne to receive GP services.

We recognise that residents of Upper Lighthorne currently travel for primary healthcare, but the objective should be that this should no longer be necessary after a certain level of occupancy of the new Upper Lighthorne developments.

2. No surrounding parish should suffer a degradation of GP services as a consequence of primary healthcare provision for Upper Lighthorne. 

A risk of relying on existing neighbouring GP services to take on Upper Lighthorne patients is that these services become over-stretched. Dedicated provision for Upper Lighthorne is essential, and will likely reduce load on neighbouring services, but must not result in a reduction of existing GP services in surrounding parishes.

3. On site provision should be made available as soon as practically possible. 

The longer it takes to open a facility on site, the more new residents will attempt to register with facilities in surrounding villages, risking over-subscription, or difficulty in registering. The Integrated Care Board (formerly CCG) must reach a conclusion as soon as is practical so that options are not limited simply as a consequence of delay.

4. A new facility at Upper Lighthorne should be designed with the input of practitioners experienced in the running of such a practice.

Recruitment and retention of staff is made easier where there is a facility that is fit for purpose. Retention of staff improves continuity of care. Adaptability allows for expansion, facilitates acting as a spoke for the main hubs at Warwick and Coventry, and enables response to situations such as COVID vaccinations.

5. There should be no shortage of funds for the capital investment needed for the appropriate solutions.

GLH was presented as a landmark new settlement, the largest in the district outside of Stratford itself. Both SDC and the developers assert a desire for on site primary healthcare. As such there should be no question of a lack of capital funds being available for the optimal solution.