Jaywick: Surgery boss apologises to patients (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Jaywick: Surgery boss apologises to patients

11:57am Wednesday 4th November 2009

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A HEALTHCARE boss has apologised to surgery patients, saying a new team were working to turn the situation around.

Rory McCrea, the head of Chilvers McCrea healthcare firm which runs Green Elms surgery in Jaywick, admitted that things had gone badly wrong at the practice.

But he told patients at a public meeting that since they had become aware of the problems, the firm had worked to “radically alter the situation”.

Mr McCrea admitted: “I believe certain systems did not work to highlight to me that there were problems and I want to apologise for that.

“I had very senior people go into the practice on a regular basis. They did not pick the issues up and they no longer work for the company. There is nothing like hindsight to educate you.”

He agreed a lack of permanent doctors and bad administrative processes had both caused problems.

But he insisted the firm, which specialised in working in deprived areas, was already on track to dealing with the issues.

Cilvers McCrea have now recruited four permanent GPs and are in talks with two female doctors to fill a fifth permanent position.

Theya re also looking at setting up a 'bank' of known and trusted doctors to cover when staff are sick on on holiday rather than relying on constantly changing locums.

A new computer and administrative system has also been put in place at the practise, overseen by Anne Care, a practice project manager.

She told the meeting: “I am very much aware of what the problems were in the practice and I am very experienced.

“You need to bear with us a little while longer until you see the positive outcomes of what we are doing.”

However, the mood of patients at the meeting was sceptical.

One said: “As you say there have been problems for a long time. Why is it only now that you are trying to resolve it?”

Another asked why the surgery had lost so many good doctors in just a couple of years.

Mr McCrea said he was personally available for anyone who had concerns or problems with the surgery.

Penny Lansdown, the head of primary care commissioning at North East Essex NHS, also put a vote of confidence behind Chilvers Ms Crea.

At a meeting four weeks ago, she had admitted the surgery was not doing well enough, but she said a lot had changed over the past month.

In a response to a question from a resident, she said if necessary, the primary care trust would take the practice back from the company, but said: “I am going into the practice every week and working with Chilvers McCrea to get it right.”

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