Last week I took the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt to Thurrock Lifestyle solutions in Grays.
He met directors Sunny Saini and Anne White, together with Chief Executive Neil Woodbridge.
The Minister heard how the innovative company is delivering services on behalf of Thurrock Council and have achieved savings to the Council to the tune of £900k. He was also told that only 26 per cent of people with disabilities receive their regular healthchecks from their GPs.
I wanted Jeremy to hear at first hand that people with disabilities are not always receiving the service they should get from their GP. In many cases this even after GPs have signed up to do them.
The fact is that there is a level of service that patients can expect from their GP. When patients dont receive that care, they end up in hospital and there is no doubt that the recent demands on Basildon have much to do with poor GP services.
I have spent a lot of time dealing with Basildon hospital and having been through special measures it is now improving its standrds of care. But we now need to get GP provision right. Our GP inspections will identify those that are failing to deliver an appropriate standard of service. Where more staff are needed we will work with them to get them. But rest assured, my priority now is to make sure that we have the right number and right quality of our GP services so that everyone in Thurrock receive the care they deserve.
Jeremy was hugely inspired by what he saw at Thurrock Lifestyle Solutions, as I knew he would be. They deserve praise and credit for the innovation and passion they bring to delivering their service.