Bolton: Public meeting held to discuss 'crisis' in GP services

The event was held at Bolton Central Library’s lecture theatre and was addressed by expert speakers including Professor Nameez Esmail.

Professor Esmail drew upon his many years as a GP serving one of Manchester’s most challenging inner-city communities when address the audience’s questions about how the problems could be solved.

He said: “I think meetings like this, groups like this are really important so that people can take their concerns to their MPs, to councillors, to those in power.”

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Professor Esmail said that he was "an optimist" who believed things could get better but that GP services all across the country had been profoundly damaged by years of underfunding and by government policies which did not understand or value the work that local doctors do on the ground.

In a wide ranging talk he explained some of the recent history of GP services and health care policies in the UK and explained the reality of the situation as he saw it on the ground.

The meeting, organised on Wednesday evening by the Bolton and District Pensioners Association, also heard questions and comments from patients expressing a range of concerns.

The ongoing themes were the difficulty in accessing services, having in some cases to resort to making 111 calls or even care from paramedics and the worry about private companies encouraging into the British healthcare system more broadly.

The borough’s three MPs had been invited to the public meeting but were not in attendance.

Chris Green MP had sent his apologies, while Yasmin Qureshi MP said major work needed to be done to address the crisis.

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Ms Qureshi said: “We need a bold plan to address the healthcare crisis and that starts by recruiting GPs, nurses, hospital staff and others, offering them a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

“We need to alleviate pressures on the NHS and support our next generation of staff in the education system.”

“It simply isn’t good enough that patients are being turned away from GP offices, unable to get appointments, and are struggling with illness and ailments that go untreated.”

In response, officials from NHS Greater Manchester, Bolton locality say that they have launched a website, poster and print campaign, known as Be the Difference Bolton to make sure people are aware of the right place to seek help for their healthcare needs.

They have added that people will be seen face-to-face whenever clinically  appropriate.

A spokesperson said: “The concerns raised at the meeting echo those around the country and we are aware of people’s frustrations.

“In Bolton our colleagues in primary care are continuing to work hard to deal with the impact of Covid and deliver services, especially as we head into winter.

“Our Think Twice, Choose Right campaign is aimed at helping people make the right choice of NHS service so they get the right help at the right time for their health concerns and we would encourage people to take a look at the Be The Difference Bolton website for help and advice in managing their health.”