Latest news with #NHSNorfolkandWaveneyIntegratedCareBoard
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Out-of-hours GP bases under threat due to costs
Out-of-hours GP services could be closed as an NHS provider looks to make £150m of savings. NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) currently has nine bases - including King's Lynn and Thetford - as well as in Beccles and Lowestoft in Suffolk. Sadie Parker, director of primary care for the ICB, said it took decisions "seriously" as it launched a public consultation to gather views on the proposals. "We know that changing how and where services are provided has a real impact on people," she said. She added: "This is why it is vital we hear from local people about the options we are considering before we make any decisions." The plans could see the number of bases reduced to either five or three and both options would also involve the closure of at least Dereham, Fakenham and Beccles. Another option being considered would see Norwich's walk-in centre left open, but on reduced hours. All three options could save between £75,000 and £120,000, largely helped by the reduction in rent for the bases, the ICB said. The board argued that the overall number of patients being seen across the bases had fallen from 55,000 in 2019 to 39,000 in 2024. It blamed inflation and an aging population on reasons behind the proposals, while more people were making use of NHS 111. The Labour MP for Lowestoft, Jess Asato, said she was "appalled" that Lowestoft and Beccles faced "the loss of vital NHS services". She said she feared it meant people needing urgent care at night would have "nowhere local to turn". "I know how much people in Lowestoft, Beccles, and the surrounding villages value their local NHS services, and I will not stand by while they are stripped away," she added. "We need investment in our health services, not cuts that leave our communities behind." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. MPs oppose plan to cut city's NHS walk-in service NHS walk-in centre faces closure or a cut in hours GP surgery in Norfolk to close despite opposition Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
NHS walk-in centre in Norwich faces closure or a big cut in hours
An NHS walk-in centre could be closed or have its opening hours cut to just four hours a centre in Norwich – which sees about 72,000 patients a year – faced closure in 2023 before a new contract was agreed to keep it running. NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it was reviewing the future of the service as it faced a £280m gap in its councillor Lucy Galvin warned that cutting back the service would be a "massive, painful cut that risks doing more harm than good". The ICB said more patients were getting treatment and advice from GPs or pharmacists under the Pharmacy First said that closing the service in Rouen Road would free up £1.5m a year while opening only in the morning would save £750,000, with the money saved being put towards GP a consultation on the proposals, Sadie Parker, director of primary care for NHS Norfolk and Waveney, said: "We are always looking at what we do and how we can get the best value for the public money that we spend."The ICB said it was also reviewing how many of its nine out-of-hours treatment sites would remain open, as well as its vulnerable adults service, which supports those such as homeless people, sex workers and said it was considering closing the service's base in Norwich and creating a team "that goes to different communities across Norfolk and Waveney". Galvin, who sits on Norfolk's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, warned that cuts to the walk-in centre could lead to more pressure on hospitals."Will this cut actually save money or will sick people simply go to the hospital accident and emergency instead?" she said."Two years ago, over 3,000 people were consulted on closing the centre, and the clear response was that these services are crucial."Healthwatch Norfolk's Alex Stewart said previous proposals to close the centre had seen a strong reaction from the public who showed "there is a consensus that the walk-in centre is really needed".He added: "It's not just used by people from Norwich – people from all over the county go there."The consultation on the proposed changes is set to run until 27 April, with the final decision due to be made in June. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
