Health chiefs want your views on GP practices and health services in Harborough

What do you think of your local medical centres across Harborough?

You are being asked to feed back your “views and experiences of services” at your GP practice in an attempt to improve them.

An online survey is being launched by health chiefs in Leicestershire in a bid to get your opinion – and act on it.

“The survey has been designed to help local health providers to understand what has been working well - and equally areas that could be improved upon particularly during the pandemic,” said the NHS.

“It’s vital that we hear from patients, carers and service users to help inform the planning process as we emerge from lockdown restrictions.”

And the mission is going ahead just weeks after GPs warned patients that General Practice throughout Leicestershire is battling a full-blown crisis.

Today Dr Nil Sanganee, a GP in Leicestershire, said: “Over the last year, the impact of Covid-19 has meant that we have had to rapidly change our approach to delivering general practice services whilst keeping our patients and staff safe.

“That said we have remained open throughout the pandemic and have conducted over six million appointments over the course of the year.

“But we are keen to hear from patients as lockdown restrictions continue to be eased and as we start to plan for the short and long term.

“By completing the survey you can help us to better understand if some of the changes we made in light of the pandemic such as online consultations and telephone assessments worked well for your needs,” added Dr Sanganee.

“We want to also hear from patients about any other suggestions that they have so we can consider how we improve the patient experience as demand on our services continue to grow.”

If you would like to take part in the study then click here: www.bit.ly/PrimaryCareLLRThe exercise will be open until Monday July 12 and all responses are anonymous.

For further information or support in completing the survey email: [email protected]

The survey is being held after GPs hit out last month in a bombshell open letter signed by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Medical Committee.

They said staff shattered by the Covid pandemic are becoming “demoralised” as they urged patients to be “respectful and kind” rather than “abusive and rude”.

Reacting to the incendiary letter, Cllr Phil Knowles, a veteran health campaigner, told the Harborough Mail: “This is deeply concerning.

“It’s almost unprecedented for GPs to publicly fire a devastating broadside as they have done here.

“GPs are teetering on the brink – and we must act now to drag them back from the edge.”

Cllr Knowles, who leads the Liberal Democrats on Harborough District Council, added: “Our GPs are in the frontline of critical medical care.

“But we have lost far too many practices all over the country over the last years.

“GPs and medical centres in Harborough as well as across the UK are under massive pressure – especially as they’ve had to battle the devastating Covid outbreak for the last year,” said Cllr Knowles.

“The Government urgently has to look at financial restructuring and properly targeted and applied investment backing our general practices.

“Ministers also have to talk to our GPs to ask exactly what support they need.

“GPs and their staff form the absolute bedrock of our entire medical care system.

“We go to see our GP first when we feel ill, we’re not right.

“And we are often referred back to GPs if we have been treated in hospital.

“We’ve had huge cutbacks in the number of GPs and they are on the brink of a full-scale crisis.

“The Government has to act now to help them,” said Cllr Knowles.

To read our full story on the GPs’ explosive letter, click here: https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/health/general-practice-across-harborough-is-battling-a-full-blown-crisis-gps-are-warning-patients-3251025