Healthwatch Rutland reflects the public voice on proposed changes to on-the-day health care services

Over the period of the consultation, Healthwatch Rutland took the opportunity to talk to people about the proposals during our outreach activities. 

The feedback we have received both from these activities and via our volunteers has been brought together into a summary response document that has been submitted to commissioners.  

The key themes from public feedback include:

Positive welcome for a combined service to reduce confusion over what is available and when.

Concerns over reduced hours of service from 75 to 56 hours per week.

Frustration over the continued need to travel to other centres in Melton, Stamford, Leicester etc due to X-ray availability at Rutland Memorial Hospital only 2 days per week..

Anxiety that one of the main routes into the new service will be via NHS 111 which people do not trust due to experiences of inconsistent response times/long waits on the phone, misdirection of patients to closed or distant facilities, and doubts about the reliability of medical advice given over the phone.

Concern that the proposals do not allow for walk-in access to the new service.