More than 40 members of the public – along with Gideon Amos MP – attended this week’s meeting of Wellington Town Council following the announcement that Luson Surgery in Fore Street is to close.
Also discussed was the decision of Somerset Integrated Care Board not to approve the reopening of the pharmacy at Wellington Medical Centre, along with the future of the town’s Community Hospital
Luson Surgery broke the news last week that its 6,600 patients are being transferred to the medical centre in Mantle Street from September.
A statement issued by the council today said: “Councillors were grateful to hear the contributions of those who spoke and recognised that this was a difficult situation for many people.”
It added that councillors would seek an urgent meeting with representatives of Somerset NHS Trust and Wellington Medical Centre to:
- Clarify how the transfer of patients was going to be managed, particularly for the more vulnerable patients;
- Understand how Wellington Medical Centre is going to manage the increased demand on its facilities and staff;
- Push for the reopening of the pharmacy at the centre.
The statement said: “The council heard that Somerset NHS Trust will be reviewing medical provision in the town, in light of the decision of Luson Surgery to close, and also the impending growth of the town, and would be establishing a stakeholder group to inform that process.
“The town council has been assured that it will be represented on that group.”
Mr Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, said after the meeting: “The numbers attending showed the real concern about vulnerable people and how they will cope with the move to a new GP practice.
“I was glad to be able to report on the assurances I have asked for, and been given, that more GPs will indeed be recruited.
“I have also written to the Secretary of State to raise the need for more GPs in Wellington.
“A powerful case to reopen the pharmacy at Wellington Medical Centre was made and I will be taking that up with NHS Somerset along with the need for more GPs and surgery facilities given the housing growth the government is requiring the town to accommodate.
“It is unacceptable that Wellington is being asked to expand in this way without the proper infrastructure is provided.”
I am sure many of the residents of Wellington are in a similar situation to my owners here at Dukes Court. Many of them are not physically able to walk to and from Wellington Medical Centre, as the extra distance is more than they will be able to cope with. Has any provision been made for those who will be affected in this way?
Also, our local pharmacies seem to be unable to cope with the current demand put upon them, with many of my owners standing for long periods of time to be served, only to hear that some of the medication they ordered previously is not available. Surely it is not beyond the pharmacies, to make contact with their customers when their medication is available, to avoid an unnecessary trip if there are issues with their medications, or to liaise with the doctors surgery to recommend a drug they are able to get? Also, the long waits standing up are not acceptable: can the pharmacies not introduce a ‘ticket’ system similar to ones you see in supermarkets, so that they can take a ticket and then have a chair available to sit on, whilst they wait for their name to be called by the pharmacist team. The whole system of getting a doctors appointment and then getting your medication seems to be broken, with no consideration given to the frailty of some of its users.
Dukes Court House Manager
What’s the point? It’s already been decided. This town has gone down the pan. Instead of closing doctors and pharmacies they should be opening more.
Luson has been described as a old fashioned surgery, but every member of the team care about our patients, it’s not just a job to us. Dreadful for this community.