Margaret Mullane, Labour PPC for Dagenham and Rainham, has welcomed the news that the services at Rainham Health Centre will be under new ownership and control. Margaret received the good news from Fay Hough who is the chair of the Rainham Health Centre Patients Participation Group.
There had been widespread dissatisfaction from patients of the practice based in Rainham Village with the company that had the contract from the NHS to run GP services there.
Margaret said “Big thanks must go to Fay and local residents who had expressed in no uncertain terms their disappointment and anger at the way the private contractor was managing services. The previous company had introduced a new phone app for patients to arrange GP appointments, but this resulted in a number of people struggling with the system.”
Margaret added “Fay Hough also tells me that the persistent lobbying that she, Jon Cruddas MP and I have been pursuing of the NHS North East London Foundation Trust to release some of the consulting rooms at the Rainham Health Centre has been successful. This should mean that there will be capacity for more community health services and hopefully another GP to be based in Rainham Village.
I am relieved to learn that the Police have responded positively to the request for a Police presence following a number of threatening incidents at the health centre.
The hope is that the new contractor will put people before profits and provide an improved GP and primary health service to the residents of Rainham. This is all due to the pressure from local people voiced through the Patients Participation Group.”
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