In the fourth of a series of articles charting the challenges facing Aldersbrook Medical Centre, Paul Wildish reports on a tentative victory and the power of the patient voice
In February, patients of the Aldersbrook Medical Centre (AMC) received a letter from the headquarters of NHS NE London announcing a change in services that provoked alarm among our community. It proposed the Richmond Road practice from Hackney – which had successfully rescued AMC from decay over the past five years – would be leaving. Immediately, the AMC’s patient community came alive on social media with resistance to such an outrage.
The Patient Participation Group (PPG) sprang into action to organise a public campaign to guarantee our services and, ideally, retain the same providers. The success of our campaigning can be measured by the tenor of a second letter received at the end of April, which was of a far more conciliatory nature. One might even suggest it was an acknowledgement of the defeat of the NHS’s original proposals as it announced that “we have reached a mutual agreement with the Richmond Road Medical Centre to extend their contract for Aldersbrook Medical Centre until 31 March 2025.”
We had a win! Albeit not a complete one. But by dogged campaigning, listening to the patients and focused political lobbying, we negotiated directly with NHS managers, demonstrating that no solution could be won without them paying attention to the patient voice. The PPG wholeheartedly recognises the significant contributions made by Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of NHS Confederation and an Aldersbrook resident and AMC patient, our local MP John Cryer who responded quickly and positively to our requests for support and our local councillors, particularly Councillor Sheila Bain, who stood with us from the beginning and opened the doors of Redbridge Council’s Health Scrutiny to us. Also, Councillor Paul Donovan, who wrote supportive articles for the local press. Their commitment to the PPG’s case meant we could not be ignored.
What happens now? We have an undertaking from NHS Primary Care managers to work with the PPG over the course of Richmond Road’s extended contract to achieve a permanent solution for AMC’s future. Due to the legal framework, a competitive bidding process is required and Richmond Road has confirmed they will be bidding. We have also won the concession that our ‘island practice’ status will always be considered as a stand-alone, staffed GP practice and never an adjunct to another local practice. All in all, we have won far more than we expected when we took on the opaque bureaucracy of the NHS. We understand that no other PPG has ever mounted a campaign in defiance of bureaucratic decisions from on high and we are determined to stick to scrutinising NHS managers until we have achieved an equitable settlement we believe all patients rightfully deserve.
For more information about the Aldersbrook Medical Centre Patient Participation Group, visit wnstd.com/amc
