26th September 2023
STATEMENT FROM THE MID AND SOUTH ESSEX ICB re Burnham Surgery and St Peter’s Hospital
NOTE: An integrated care board (or ICB) is a statutory NHS organisation which is responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in a geographical area.
Much of this statement was read out at the Town Council meeting on 12th September, which was the day it was received.
The Integrated Care Board (ICB) would like to provide continued reassurance that, despite recent rumours, no decision has been made about relocating the Burnham Surgery.
We are aware that the team at the surgery is working with local partners to explore a number of options that will help future-proof GP-led services. This has included an initial assessment of estate.
Land and build costs for any new NHS premises are typically multi-million pound investments, dependent on market prices. Across the country, including across Mid and South Essex and the Maldon District, replacement GP practices are only being built when developers build the building and lease it back to the NHS. This is the most cost effective way for the NHS to be able to support new practice builds as typically the amount of capital received by the NHS is not enough to allow for multiple new practices to be built so working with developers offers a more cost effective way of creating new Primary care space as the cost to the NHS is revenue rather than capital (the NHS covers rent costs for practices).
Examples: Sainsbury’s built the new Crouch Vale Medical Centre in South Woodham Ferrers, developers are looking to build the replacement surgery in Southminster, plus other developers in other parts of the Maldon District are looking to build surgeries in the new Heybridge Garden Suburb and Wycke Hill. Developers also contribute to the community infrastructure through Section 106 agreements.
If and when the Burnham Surgery put a formal option appraisal to the ICB and an option is deemed viable, then a formal process begins. This process is long and requires, first of all, a Project Initiation Document (PID) which is a guide to the project, it’s objectives and how the project will be organised, followed by an Outline Business Case (OBC), looking at the feasibility and finances, and then finally, a Full Business Case (FBC) which would go to the ICB for a final decision to be made. Only then could any building commence. This process often takes years.
Any proposed changes to the location of GP services would need to be developed in conjunction with local people and key stakeholders and agreed by a local Primary Care Committee before any decisions are made. There must be clear evidence of public engagement at the stages of PID and OBC.
The Burnham Waters Planning Application included a build of a surgery. This was described as ‘private’. The developers have planning permission to go ahead with building this regardless; it is not conditional on NHS approvals. Indeed, the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) at the time, did not support the Burnham Waters planning application for a retirement village because of the burden it would put upon local NHS services.
The Burnham Surgery will be engaging with the community about their current issues and future options. The Surgery already meet with their Patient Participation Group (PPG) and will be invited to attend a meeting with the Town Council.
It is acknowledged that our GP practice performs a very vital service, and we are fortunate to have Doctors prepared to commute from London to staff our practice. We don’t want to lose them. It has always been difficult to recruit doctors in Burnham but now that there is a Medical School in Chelmsford, we have trainee GPs and medical students placed at the practice and it is hoped that some of them will decide to stay in Burnham when they are qualified. Of course, Doctors will be more attracted to modern premises with plenty of good clinical space and diagnostic facilities.
The duty and shared commitment of all NHS organisations involved is to ensure the people of Burnham-on-Crouch and the surrounding area receive high-quality healthcare both now and in the future.
For ease, our ICB statement remains unchanged and is:
We would like to assure you that, despite recent rumours, no decision has been made about relocating the Burnham Surgery.
The team at the surgery is working with local partners to explore a number of options that will help future-proof GP-led services. This has included an initial assessment of estate. However, formal recommendations around proposed changes to the location of GP services would need to be developed in conjunction with local people and key stakeholders and agreed by a local Primary Care Committee before any decisions are made.
Local NHS values the input and expertise of everyone involved in delivering and receiving health and care services. We are committed to transparent planning and decision-making processes that take experiences of the people we serve into account.
The duty and shared commitment of all NHS organisations involved is to ensure the people of Burnham-on-Crouch and the surrounding area receive high-quality healthcare both now and in the future.
St Peter’s Hospital Maldon update
The news broke that Stroke rehabilitation beds and Maternity beds would be moved from St Peter’s Hospital, Maldon to Brentwood Community Hospital and Braintree Community Hospital respectively. This is because the first floor of the old St Peter’s building (the old workhouse..front building) was in a poor state of repair and did no longer comply with modern safety and clinical standards. It would cost the health service millions to repair. The Council have expressed their utter dismay at this news as travel to Brentwood and to Braintree is much more difficult for Burnham residents.
X-Ray, ultrasound, phlebotomy will remain open as it’s considered safe to continue services for ambulant patients on the ground floor of the building.
Patient Participation Group Meeting 1st September 2023
Sharon Stubbs, Business Manager gave an update. Ms Sonia Stykova was introduced as the new Practice Manager, supported by Carol Banham, the Assistant Practice Manager. Sharon reiterated that the current surgery is no longer fit for purpose by modern NHS standards. The surgery was built for 6,000 patients, they now have 9,000 with the prospect of over 12,000 in the next few years. Modern standards could include modern clinical rooms, a minor ops room and proper sluice room for carrying out dressings and wound care and diagnostic and screening facilities.
When the Burnham Waters development is finished, it will include a care home whose patients will be eligible to register at Burnham Surgery as well.
The surgery used to have 5 GPs, there are now 8. There was originally 1 nurse there are now 5. Not to mention the health care assistants and all the medical secretaries, admin staff, reception staff. Hot-desking is how they work. If the surgery doesn’t move over the next few years, they would have to close the list which would mean new patients having to register in Mayland, or South Woodham Ferrers.
In an ideal world, the surgery would like Maldon District Council to slow down the rate of house building!
The Surgery, have through the Options Appraisal, looked at many options to address this including extensions, portacabins and various sites in and around Burnham Town. Operating from more than one site is not considered financially viable because of increased admin costs and the requirement for full NHS compatible IT computer systems, which means expensive cabling put in place, wherever services are provided.
PPG members reiterated the concerns about access, and transport, as debated in the Public Meeting on the 18th August. Narrow pavements, many crossings required for pedestrians, promised bus services may not run and when they do, get caught up in traffic, the ill and vulnerable most affected etc.
Sharon explained that home visits are done now and will continue to be delivered for the most vulnerable. The surgery is continuing to improve access, so apart from face to face, they are offering telephone consultations where appropriate and on-line bookings and more improvements are in the pipeline. Some residents say that “the waiting room often looks empty” Sharon explained that this is not indicative of ‘no work’ going on because so much has to happen behind the scenes, e.g. doctors updating clinical records, telephone consultations etc.
Sharon explained that any move of the surgery could take anywhere between two and a half years and five and a half years, so some contingencies will have to be thought of.
Meetings are planned with the Health Authority (ICB) towards the end of September to discuss all of this.
Further information from the surgery included:
- Patients over 65yrs will be invited for COVID Vaccs and Flu Vaccs from the end of September.
- Patients who did not attend appointments in June meant 44 hrs of clinical time was wasted (DNAs) and in July 37 hrs were wasted.
- The recent patient survey showed 339 patients scored the surgery as “very good”, 305 as “good”, 18 as “neither good nor bad”, 5 as “poor” and 15 as “very poor”. The 15 were mostly about getting through to the surgery by phone or complaints about staff handling of enquiries, which the surgery are continually working had to improve upon.