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Alan Johnson: New GP centre points the way toward a healthier future
BEING able to see a GP quickly and easily is one of the most important services the NHS provides. It's long been recognised that where there's good access to primary care, people stay healthier and live longer.
That is why Bradford's Hillside Bridge Health Centre, which I officially opened last week, is so important to the future of healthcare policy.
This new health centre is the first glimpse of the massive transformation of primary care that's happening across the country.
We've invested 250m to open 112 new GP practices in the most deprived areas of England, and 152 GP health centres like Hillside – one in every Primary Care Trust region – which will provide at least 2.6 million extra GP appointments a year.
These centres are extra resources and, combined with the fact that over half of all existing GP practices are now opening extra hours either in the mornings, evenings or at weekends, means it will be easier for patients to see a GP at a time convenient for them.
For more than 50 years, there was a chronic lack of family doctors in Bradford. In 1948, when the NHS was created, a GP in Bradford looked after 2,600 people – significantly more than the national average,
and as little as 11 years ago, Bradford still had fewer doctors than other parts of the country.
It has got a lot better in recent years, but we know we still
need to do more to improve access to health services, particularly in the most deprived parts of the city.
Centres like Hillside Bridge are part of the solution. Its location – a short walk from the centre of town, and close to the train station – means that it's perfectly placed to help the broadest range of people.
When you're sick, the last thing you want is a battle to get the help you need. All GP health centres will be open from 8am to 8pm every day of the week – even on Christmas Day. People who find it difficult to take time off work or training to go the doctor, or are juggling caring responsibilities, will find it much easier to see a doctor or a practice nurse.
Patients can choose to register at centres like Hillside Bridge, but they don't have to. Anyone can use its services, regardless of whether they are registered there or not. People can stay registered with their own GP and still use Hillside Bridge, they can pre-book appointments or simply walk in.
It also offers a much broader range of health services than the average GP practice, so people managing long-term conditions such as asthma and diabetes will no longer have to travel as far to get specialist support. And it can even perform minor surgery – so an ingrown toe-nail doesn't mean a trip to hospital and can instead be sorted out in a lunch hour.
Patients leading busy lives tell us that access to GP services is
a real issue for them, so increasing access is therefore a priority for me.
I don't want it to be at the expense of the idea of the family doctor, which I know a lot of people cherish. But I do want to make sure every single person in Bradford who has a health problem is confident they get an appointment sorted out quickly and without fuss.
This is critical if we want to improve the health of people who live here. We know in Bradford that more people have diabetes, more people die early from heart disease, stroke and cancer, and infant mortality rates are significantly higher here than in the rest of the country.
The picture has improved over the last decade, but there is still a long way to go.
Primary care trusts and local authorities are working on a number of programmes to create a healthier Bradford, particularly looking at how it can support groups with the worst health. Centres like Hillside Bridge will deliver a shot in the arm for these efforts too.
Bradford's Hillside Bridge Health Centre leads the way for the rest of the country, and it promises a much brighter, much healthier future for everyone in the region.
Alan Johnson is the Health Secretary and MP for West Hull and Hessle.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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