Ombudsman Eventually Responds to Surgery Complaint
After a delay of around a year, partially caused by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) conducting an internal review of their consultation about closure the branch surgery at 10 The Common, Evington, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has now provided a written response.
In summary they have concluded that “We think the ICB did get some things wrong but has already done enough to put these right.”
Having taken time to read, consider and weigh the contents of the decision statement in this matter it would seem that that statement may well describe the partly failed process and review undertaken by the ICB, however it completely ignores the central issue that the consultation was a sham and breaches the Gunning Principle that a consultation must be at a time when proposals are still at a formative stage.
In fact one might argue that the reasons given for concluding the ICB were not at fault lacks credibility as in March 2024 the practice which bought out Dr Wood’s share of St Elizabeth Medical Centre stated categorically that it could not afford to additionally purchase 10 the Common, Evington from Dr Wood and could not afford an alternative branch surgery in the vicinity. This is categorical and consultation did not and could not alter this fact. In essence then the consultation was literally an empty gesture. In addition, after years of operating successfully as a branch surgery, the ICB declared the building unfit to operate as a GP surgery. Again, this is categorical and could not be altered through a hollow consultation exercise. This is borne out again in the ICB denying an alternative GP practice permission to operate from the building.
Given these are irrefutable facts acknowledged in the narrative by both the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Office, the practice and the ICB it is somewhat illogical for such a conclusion to be reached. From the outside one might be forgiven for feeling that this is simply the establishment closing ranks.
It would seem appropriate now to seek a review of this issue.
