Private firm to run Lymington hospital minor injuries unit

A PRIVATE company has won the contract to run Lymington hospital’s minor injuries unit and out-of-hours GP surgery.

The services, which are commissioned by the West Hampshire Clinical Care Commissioning Group (CCG), are currently delivered by Southern Health NHS Trust which runs Lymington hospital.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the CCG confirmed that Partnering Health Ltd (PHL) had been awarded the contract to run an urgent treatment centre at the Ampress site from July, which will combine the existing minor injuries unit, out-of-hours GPs and the extended GP services.

A spokesperson for the CCG said: “We undertook a procurement process to commission an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) service at Lymington New Forest Hospital, along with an extended GP access service at Ringwood.

“The UTC at Lymington hospital will bring together existing services into one joined up service, offering urgent and extended hours appointments bookable through your GP practice or by calling NHS 111.

"The UTC will be able to treat minor injuries and minor illnesses, and will be available from 8am-9pm, seven days a week.”

As part of the new contract, PHL will also be providing an extended and urgent GP service in Ringwood, with appointments available during evenings and weekends that will be bookable through GP practices or by calling the NHS 111 helpline.

This service will be available Monday-Friday, 6.30pm-9.30pm, Saturday 8am-6pm and Sunday 9am-2pm.

Dozens of people took to the Lymington Rumour Control Facebook page to express their views on the change.

One posted: “Lymington hospital’s Minor Injuries Unit is about to be run by a private company. This is very worrying news.”

“Already unbelievable there is not one doctor in this unit and we don’t want a private company – whose aim is to make profits – ‘making economies’ by slashing more expertise, making shortcuts in provision and changing working conditions for staff.

“We should really still have a proper NHS-owned and run A&E in our area, with maternity and paediatric and mental health provision at our local hospital.”

Another wrote: “The private system in the United States causes hundreds of thousands of folk to become bankrupt. The NHS is the best invention this country has ever made. We allow privatisation at our peril.”

However, others were more optimistic about the change. One wrote: “I'm passionate about the NHS. I've worked for the NHS for 22 years.

“But if Lymington hospital is run by a private firm that can keep it running and see patients within the set waiting times and follow the regulations, then that's got to be better than it closing down or closing services, putting more pressure on the bigger hospitals.”

Another added: “Hearing and sight tests plus some orthopaedic services are already contracted out to private companies. This will not affect the high standard and incredible service already on offer at the minor injuries unit. We don’t need a multi-million pound A& E unit, we already have excellent state of the art ones at Southampton and Bournemouth.

“Nurse practitioners are highly qualified in every way, often more useful than a doctor. I don’t think this is a cause for concern in any way.”

CCG chairman Dr Sarah Schofield has defended the decision and claimed the new service will improve provisions for local people.

“This contract award builds on the good work undertaken by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust at The Practice at Lymington Hospital,” she said. “It offers local people more opportunities to see a range of healthcare professionals at a time that is convenient for them.

“Providing healthcare closer to people’s homes is very important to the CCG and this is in line with that goal.”

PHL medical director Dr Tim Wright also welcomed the announcement, commenting: “We are very proud to have the opportunity to provide clinical care to Lymington and the surrounding area.

“For many years we have provided out-of-hours care to the region and this is a natural fit to enhance the clinical care we provide locally.

"PHL is a clinically-led organisation and believes that good, safe and appropriate clinical care delivered at the right time in the right place is essential.

"Our teams will always put patients at the centre of their decisions.”