VIEWPOINT FOR 3 JULY
FROM DR RICHARD TAYLOR

The Darzi Report on the future of NHS health care has been published and there are good things in it. 

One is the emphasis on quality of health care with compassion and kindness from all staff. 
Sadly lack of compassion and even simple kindness has been the cause of several of the complaints I have received. 

Another welcome feature is the recognition that polyclinics may not be appropriate for semi-rural areas like ours and that GP-led health centres could be a suitable alternative. 
To qualify for this title and the money that goes with it, such a centre has to be open 12 hours a day for 365 days per year to provide a drop-in service for anyone and an appointment system for registered patients from an accessible site. 

During a debate on 17 June and the Health Secretary's statement on 30 June I obtained assurances that local GPs were eligible to apply to provide these additional services from their existing premises which, because of their current opening hours, are vacant for much of the additional time. At the moment the proposal is for one such centre, probably to be provided by a private consortium, in Worcester where I understand the GPs do not want it. 

Would it not be more sensible to provide these services for each of the county's three major conurbations on a smaller scale in an existing practice in Worcester, Redditch and Kidderminster run by our own GPs with the necessary extra staff?
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There are proposals to improve the access for radiotherapy for Worcestershire patients. 
We must all support the option for the unit to be in Worcester. 
The other proposals are to extend the Cheltenham unit or to put it in Hereford. There will be strong arguments for both of these sites neither of which would help us and so we must back the Worcester option.
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We also may face a battle to keep the doctor in our emergency unit at Kidderminster Hospital. 
This is helping dramatically a significant number of people and the Acute Hospitals Trust which provides it realises how helpful it is. 

But the Primary Care Trust that pays for the service looks at it in hard financial terms and they will have to be convinced of its economic viability. I keep pointing out that if the doctor was present for more than just 9am – 5pm on week days it is likely it would be much more used and help people elsewhere in the county by taking patients away from the A&E departments.
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Last weekend the commemoration of the US Army Medical Corps 52nd General Hospital at Wolverley from April 1943 to June 1945 was truly memorable. 
Crowds of local people turned out to greet the parade to the Parish Church where a plaque was unveiled. Guests included Colonel Watters, a senior USAF medical officer representing the American Ambassador, a superbly drilled USAF Guard of Honour and visitors from America who had connections with the Hospital. 

Highlights for me were the low level fly pasts by the Spitfire and the Hurricane of the RAF Memorial Flight and the inspiring service with moving and humorous memories of the Hospital from America and locally. 

Mike Webster and his team are to be congratulated for such a superb and worthwhile commemoration.

R.T.

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