8:20am Thursday 24th July 2008
By Charlotte Gray
Out of hours treatment and emergency care are vital services patients want access to at the new Hornsey Central hospital.
To mark the completion of major building works to the hospital site in Park Road next week, the Liberal Democrats have released the results of their own patient survey.
More than 1,200 residents were questioned over six months to give their opinion on the services they would prefer to see on the site.
The top priorities for patients include out of hours treatment, x-ray services and emergency care. Only 34 per cent of those asked wanted to access their own GP from the new health centre.
Lib Dem health spokesman Councillor Richard Wilson, said: "Sifting through the responses one thing is clear - local people don't want Hornsey Central to be just an enormous GP clinic. They want new hospital services brought onto the site."
MP for Hornsey and Wood Green Lynne Featherstone has been campaigning for more than 10 years to get Hornsey Central opened.
She said: "We have the building, now we need to know what is going to go in it.
"To be called a hospital it must have more than basic GP services. Our survey has show there is significant demand for wider services.
"This is real opportunity. The heath trust must act now to engage with local people."
Helen Brown, deputy chief executive of Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust welcomes the results of this survery.
She said: “This is what we are hearing time and again from local people and exactly what we are seeking to achieve through our proposal to set up a number of Neighbourhood Health Centres or “hubs” in the borough.”
In the trust’s primary care strategy, Hornsey Central will become a “hub”, housing lots of patient services under one roof.
Ms Brown added: “These centres – one of which will be Hornsey Central – will provide people with the services they require in one location therefore avoiding unnecessary trips to a hospital.
“These “hubs” will be supported by GPs working together in “spokes”, who will be able to refer patients to these centres for other services like dietary and exercise advice, blood and diagnostic tests as well as specialist services such as mental health."
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk