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Town’s MP joins fight to save service
NEWMARKET MP Matthew Hancock has stepped into the row over a decision to axe the town’s walk-in out-of-hours doctors’ service.
The service, which operates out of Newmarket Hospital, is set to cease today, leaving patients having to travel to Mildenhall or Bury St Edmunds for out-of-hours appointments.
The service was provided by Harmoni, the largest independent provider of urgent care services in England, on behalf of NHS Suffolk, and is being axed to save money.
Newmarket mother-of-two Maria Gregory has already started a petition opposing the move and last week Mr Hancock met Harmoni’s chief executive, Andrew Gardner, to discuss the group’s action.
“I told him of the widespread concern in Newmarket at the proposed closure of the out-of- hours doctors’ service,“ said Mr Hancock,
“He had no explanation for the closure of the Newmarket base, except that Newmarket is within half an hour of other bases that will remain open in Mildenhall and Bury.
“There was also no explanation for the unacceptable lack of proper consultation.”
He added: “Thanks to the Government’s decision to protect the NHS budget, Suffolk’s NHS received an increase in funding of £25.9m last year, so there is no excuse for this.
“Harmoni has now promised to review the service after three months. I will be pressing urgently for the decision to be reversed as soon as possible.”
On Monday Newmarket town councillors agreed to write to NHS Suffolk questioning the legality of making such a decision without consultation.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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