MEDIA RELEASE - PROTEST TO TAKE PLACE AS BATTLE CONTINUES TO SAVE WALK IN CENTRE

More than 5,000 have signed petition to say ‘NO’ to closure of Ilkeston Family Practice and GP Walk In Centre

With the closure of the Ilkeston Family Practice and GP Walk In Centre just days away, a protest will take place outside the Centre on Friday 15 February at 16.00 – 18.30. All patients from the Centre are being encouraged to attend to show their support in overturning the decision. Organisers want NHS Derbyshire and Erewash CCG to review the decision, and complete the process properly, adhering to the requirements of patient consultation before deciding the fate of the Centre. The closure of the Walk In Centre is already hitting patients hard.  There is now only very limited access to GPs during the weekend period, and Out of Hours service is being stretched, resulting in patients forced to travel to Nottingham and Derby walk in centres. Campaign organiser, Amanda Jackson, said: “It is really disappointing that NHS Derbyshire and Erewash CCG have refused to listen to their patients and our concerns over the closure.  They have made the wrong decision, at the wrong time and it gives the impression of the wrong priorities for healthcare provision in Ilkeston. The Centre was a model of how healthcare should be provided to the local community in the 21st century and its closure is a step backwards in service provision for Erewash”. Through the petition, which has now been signed by more than 5,000 people, NHS Derbyshire is being asked to put the health needs of the local community first and to carry out a proper review, including patient consultation.  PROTEST DETAILS:  16.00 – 18.30 FRIDAY 15 FEBRUARY ILKESTON FAMILY PRACTICE AND GP WALK IN CENTRE ILKESTON COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, HEANOR ROAD ILKESTON, DERBYSHIRE The closure, scheduled for 28 February 2013, was announced by local media on 27 November, with no prior consultation or communication to patients.  With more than 1,500 people registered at the GP Practice, and more than 9,000 appointments held at the Walk In Centre during the last three months, its closure will have a huge impact to Ilkeston and surrounding areas. In just 12 weeks, more than 5,000 people have signed a petition to save the Centre, including Ilkeston-born TV-star, Robert Lindsay. For further information about the closure, people are invited to visit the campaign website which has been set up - www.saveilkestongp.co.uk which also includes details about how to sign the online petition.