Important Announcement – Withdrawal of Under-funded Treatment room service and unfunded ECG services
For some time now, the funding we receive from Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board for providing a wound care service (wound dressings, stitch, and clip removal), has not covered the actual costs we incur delivering that service. We have tried our very best over the years to improve efficiencies in an attempt to continue offering this service to our patients. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts it has become unsustainable for us to do so, as we are now losing money on every appointment we provide. We have received NO funding for the more complicated wounds we have been managing over the years, which more often involve lengthy appointments being needed over a long period of time. These include things like cavity wounds or infected wounds.
As a result, St Peters Hill Surgery, along with all local surgeries across Southwest Lincolnshire, have made the difficult decision to stop providing appointments for dressing services. We understand that this news will be concerning for many of our patients but due to increasing demands on our nursing team and the significant financial pressures on NHS General Practice overall, we can no longer continue to provide services that are simply not cost effective, without compromising our ability to deliver core General Practice services.
From Wednesday 2nd October, patients requiring treatment room services can be referred to LCHS and will be seen at Grantham Health Clinic, St Catherine's Rd, Grantham, NG31 6TT.
LCHS SPA number: 0300 123 4868. A call handler will collect the necessary referral information and ensure that referrals are managed appropriately.
- if you come out of hospital with stitches or clips in a wound, these will be removed by Lincolnshire Community Health Services (LCHS)
- if you have a dressing on a wound that needs replacing, this will be provided by Lincolnshire Community Health Services (LCHS)
- if you develop a wound, you will be signposted for an assessment with Lincolnshire Community Health Services (LCHS), who will manage any treatment
- any wound that is from a minor injury that occurred in the last 48 hours should be treated at a Minor injury service/Urgent Treatment Centre, or Accident and Emergency department
- if you have a more complex wound, including a cavity wound after surgery or an infected wound, you will be signposted to Lincolnshire Community Health Services (LCHS)
We will also cease to provide on-site ECG services, as this is a completely unfunded service.
Patients will be referred to the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) next to Moy Park, Gonerby Hill Foot.
Your care remains our priority, and we are here to support you through this transition as we appreciate this may be difficult. We hope you are able to understand why this decision has been reached. We need to ensure that we are here for you in the years to come. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you for your understanding.