A walk-in clinic in Leyton will close if NHS bosses in the borough get their way. Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – a group of […]By Waltham Forest Echo
A walk-in clinic in Leyton will close if NHS bosses in the borough get their way.
Oliver Road Polyclinic
Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – a group of doctors who organise local health services – argues that the walk-in service at Oliver Road Polyclinic needs to close to save money.
The NHS facility, where you do not need to be registered to see a doctor, was opened ten years ago as part of the redevelopment of Leyton Orient’s Matchroom Stadium. But now doctors wish to close it to prevent health services being duplicated.
Dr Anwar Khan, chairman of Waltham Forest CCG, said: “The majority of the people using the walk-in service at Oliver Road are already registered with a small number of GP practices in Leyton and Leytonstone.
“There are also very few people in other parts of Waltham Forest who are benefiting from the walk-in service, and there is unequal access across the borough. Our aim is to ensure we’re using local people’s money in the best and fairest way possible.
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“At this point our preferred option is to close the walk-in service and re-invest the money in improving access to GP services across the whole of the borough. However, we are keen to know what people in Waltham Forest think before we make any decisions.”
The CCG has been running drop-in events to gather people’s feedback about the walk-in service and primary care, and have also published further information about the proposals and a survey on its website.
Until recently the Oliver Road Polyclinic was one of the few places locally residents could go to see a doctor at weekends. But to help ease pressure hundreds of new weekend GP and nurse appointments have now been made available from three different locations across Waltham Forest.
Services for registered patients, as well as the sexual health clinic, will continue at Oliver Road.
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