Villagers angry at threat to ‘essential’ clinic

Villagers angry at threat to ‘essential’ clinic

2 July 2014

RESIDENTS in Strangford are to hold a public meeting as part of their campaign to oppose plans to close the village’s community clinic.

The news was confirmed on Monday afternoon when 70 people staged a public protest against the controversial plan outside the clinic at New Quay.

GPs who provide a service in the village one day a week have made an application to the Health and Social Care Board to close the clinic and transfer the services to their main practice at the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick.

Health officials are currently considering the closure application and while they are planning to hold a public meeting, residents are pressing ahead with plans for their own meeting and want face-to-face talks with the GPs who provide the weekly service.

Roisin Curran, who organised Monday’s protest, said residents are angry that the future of the only medical service available to them within an eight mile radius is being threatened with closure.

“Monday’s protest was to highlight that people who use this service are not going to stand back and allow the closure to happen. I would encourage everyone to write to the Health and Social Care Board objecting to the closure proposal to show we are united against this application.”

Roisin said she was buoyed by the support of so many residents on Monday, suggesting support for the protest illustrates how concerned local people are.

“Instead of closing the clinic, why not look to expand this community facility and allow it to deliver a wider range of health services for the people of Strangford and the surrounding area? Why can’t we have dental, chiropody and physiotherapy services delivered here which would ease pressure on delivering these in Downpatrick?

“Patients from Strangford who have to see a GP in Downpatrick could have to wait longer to be seen than they currently do in the village. We believe the closure decision will not only impact on patients in Strangford but those in Ardglass, Kilclief and Saul, all of whom want this community clinic retained,” Roisin explained.

Professor Ronnie Buchanan and his wife Rhoma said not everyone affected by the closure proposal has a car and faces a difficult journey to the GP surgery at the Downe Hospital by bus.

“The proposed closure will impact greatly on people my age and many young families who do not have access to a car. The clinic we currently have is a very good facility, but it’s underused. There are a lot of minor services that could probably be transferred here to operate alongside the GP clinic. We could also have district nurses based in Strangford,” he added.

Mr. Alan Johnston said people are concerned about the future of the clinic which they want to see retained. He said the potential closure will have a major impact on the elderly in particular who face “huge inconvenience” having to travel to Downpatrick.

Joanne Burns said seeing a GP in Strangford is much easier than Downpatrick and explained having access to the family doctor in the village is vitally important for her as one of her children has not been well since the start of the year. She said everyone wants to see the clinic remaining open.

Seventy three year-old Jack Fitzsimons described the closure proposal as “terrible,” and said it will make it a lot more awkward for some people to see their GP. He said the prospect of two bus journeys for people to get to the surgery at the Downe Hospital would be “too much for some of them.”

Ninety seven year-old Maureen Gilmore, who lives at the Black-causeway Road outside Strangford, said it’s “comforting” knowing the village clinic is close at hand. 

She said she would have to call the doctor to her home if she was unwell as making her way to Downpatrick would be “very inconvenient.”

A spokeswoman for the Health and Social Care Board, which is handling media enquiries in relation to the proposed closure of Strangford community clinic, said it is aware of local concern about the issue.

“We would appeal to people who have been issued with patient surveys in relation to the proposed closure to complete and return them as soon as possible. The Health and Social Care Board will also be holding a public meeting in the village to discuss the proposed closure,” she added.