Tendring: Better out-of-hours health cover

Tendring Health Action Group has been pressing for extra cover at times when the minor injuries units at Clacton and Harwich Hospitals are closed.

Anyone needing treatment in that period has to go to Colchester or use Healthcall, the out-of-hours doctors' surgery.

The group wanted the minor injuries units to be open through the night, but that has been ruled out by the Tendring Primary Care Trust.

With Healthcall based in Clacton, THAG was concerned about the time it took doctors to get to Harwich.

Now the trust has agreed to work towards expanding the range of cover provided in Clacton and Harwich.

Chief executive Paul Unsworth said discussions were taking place with doctors and Healthcall to see how it could best be achieved.

"We feel the best solution is for Healthcall to cover the period of time that THAG is concerned about and that will be monitored," he said.

"We need the agreement of GPs and there will be a meeting later this month."

Vickie Williams, chairman of THAG, said that while it was not exactly what they wanted, it was a step in the right direction.

"It is something rather than nothing and I think we can work with the trust on this," she said.

"We were not in favour of Healthcall being the extra out-of-hours cover, but it would be wrong to reject it before we see if it works."

She said she hoped the doctor would have full access to facilities at Harwich Hosptial.

"We will be keeping a careful eye on the situation and will monitor how it works and if it works," she added.

"Ultimately, we would like to move towards a nurse practitioner with an ambulance based at the hospital."

She said the group was disappointed the minor injuries units would not be open longer at Clacton and Harwich but at least there would be 24-hour cover, which was the main objective.

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