Save Coniston Surgery

[Don't fear the sweeper]

Have you ever run in one of these races?

• Coniston Fell Race
• Coniston Country Fair Fell Race
• Lakeland Country Fair Fell Race
• Coniston Gullies Fell Race
• Lakeland 100 or 50

If so, you may be interested to know that Coniston Surgery and neighbouring Hawkshead Surgery are under threat from Jeremy Hunt’s proposed axing of a government grant called the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee. Without this money these surgeries will no longer be financially viable and patients will have to travel to Ambleside to see a doctor.
Local MP and fellrunner Tim Farron is trying to save them, as is the British Medical Association. You can make a difference by signing the online petition here: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition...-our-surgeries
Thanks!

[Mike T]

Have you ever run in one of these races?

• Coniston Fell Race
• Coniston Country Fair Fell Race
• Lakeland Country Fair Fell Race
• Coniston Gullies Fell Race
• Lakeland 100 or 50

If so, you may be interested to know that Coniston Surgery and neighbouring Hawkshead Surgery are under threat from Jeremy Hunt’s proposed axing of a government grant called the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee. Without this money these surgeries will no longer be financially viable and patients will have to travel to Ambleside to see a doctor.
Local MP and fellrunner Tim Farron is trying to save them, as is the British Medical Association. You can make a difference by signing the online petition here: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition...-our-surgeries
Thanks!

Can the petition link be sent automatically to all those signed up to 38 degrees - or has that already been done?

[The devil's own]

Let me get this right in my head - The NHS is on it's arse and you think 2 surgeries should be saved from closure so people don't have to travel between 5-7 miles further than they already do for an appointment?

[Mike T]

Let me get this right in my head - The NHS is on it's arse and you think 2 surgeries should be saved from closure so people don't have to travel between 5-7 miles further than they already do for an appointment?

Have you driven from Coniston/Hawkshead to Ambleside? Not a journey I would recommend if you feel unwell.

[Just a Lurker!]

Have you driven from Coniston/Hawkshead to Ambleside? Not a journey I would recommend if you feel unwell.

And maybe you don't have a car/chauffeur and are reliant on the bus service, which wasn't that frequent when I last tried it.

[Don't fear the sweeper]

Let me get this right in my head - The NHS is on it's arse and you think 2 surgeries should be saved from closure so people don't have to travel between 5-7 miles further than they already do for an appointment?

Yeah, only 8 miles from the centre of Coniston to Ambleside surgery and only taking 19 minutes by car according to google. Except that more often than not it takes half an hour. Also, it’s a priority 2 road for gritting. In snow I’ve had to drive from Ambleside via Windermere, Kendal bypass and Newby Bridge to get home to Coniston, taking 4 hours on one occasion. Not something I’d like to do when ailing. A&E is 45 minutes away from Coniston.

Patients going to the Ambleside surgery by bus had better get an appointment between 10:10 and 16:00 if they want to get home again the same day, and they’d most likely take the best part of a day doing it as there’s often 2 hours between buses.

It’s not as if Coniston residents don’t do their bit voluntarily, to aid locals and visitors alike. Coniston First Responders, formed 10 years ago, is comprised of local volunteers, as is Coniston Mountain Rescue Team, which was formed 66 years ago.

[The devil's own]

Have you driven from Coniston/Hawkshead to Ambleside? Not a journey I would recommend if you feel unwell.

Yes many times, still doesn't mean you should have a practice on your doorstep.

[The devil's own]

And maybe you don't have a car/chauffeur.

Taxi?

[dominion]

Yes many times, still doesn't mean you should have a practice on your doorstep.

It's called 'Universal Healthcare', everyone gets the same treatment. It's more privitisation of the welfare system that's creeping in as a result of governments of all sides. The residents of Coniston and Hawkeshead won't get a reduction in the taxes that they pay due to the reduction in local services. There'll be a lot more of this to come because of everything having to be 'profitable'.

[The devil's own]

Yeah, only 8 miles from the centre of Coniston to Ambleside surgery and only taking 19 minutes by car according to google. Except that more often than not it takes half an hour. Also, it’s a priority 2 road for gritting. In snow I’ve had to drive from Ambleside via Windermere, Kendal bypass and Newby Bridge to get home to Coniston, taking 4 hours on one occasion. Not something I’d like to do when ailing. A&E is 45 minutes away from Coniston.

Patients going to the Ambleside surgery by bus had better get an appointment between 10:10 and 16:00 if they want to get home again the same day, and they’d most likely take the best part of a day doing it as there’s often 2 hours between buses.

It’s not as if Coniston residents don’t do their bit voluntarily, to aid locals and visitors alike. Coniston First Responders, formed 10 years ago, is comprised of local volunteers, as is Coniston Mountain Rescue Team, which was formed 66 years ago.

I don't buy in to the roads this the roads that. You made the choice to live in a rural area - poor road conditions are part and parcel of this. I'm sure the pro's of living in coniston far out weigh the cons.

I've been on NHS choices and sure these surgeries are wonderful - you can go without and appointment and be seen, and I'm sure the GP does;t have to stick to the government 5 minute appointment time. The simple fact is these rural surgeries where another option is available in a short distance simply aren't viable anymore. A quick search shows that in 06-07 the average MPIG spend per PCT was £2.1 million with a national figure of £330 million - this figure has risen annually since.

Now when the NHS is in the state its in and people are being sent hundreds of miles from there home to be admitted to hospital because of lack of beds, A+E's are buckling - people who need overnight stay having to sleep in chairs or on trollies in a corridoor- secondary services are being cut to hell lead to longer waiting times for an initial engagement and longer times between each subsequent appointment. Massive bed closures leading to ridiculous bed pressure and in turn hospital admission length being cut to the bare minimum - sometimes dangerously short. I could go on and on but I presume you think this is acceptable as long as you have your doorstep surgery?

You need to get real. Unless things change the NHS won't be around for much longer and then you really will have something to moan about. It's not hard to see that £330 million can be better spent elsewhere.