To receive a verbal update from Councillor Phil Gilchrist.

Councillor Gilchrist provided the committee with a verbal update on Eastham Walk in Centre.

The average figures for numbers attending the Walk in not the Clinic in July they were 1,411 908 from Wirral 370 from Cheshire and 91 from North Wales. Cheshire and North Wales pay Wirral CCG for this service. Three staff members on senior grades have been taken away due to targets not being met at Arrowe Park Hospital.

There had been a meeting with Ward Councillors and the NHS and also Simon Banks Chief Officer of Wirral CCG attended a Council’s scrutiny Committee meeting held in September a resolution was passed “This scrutiny committee calls upon the CCG to recognise this as a formal request for reinstatement of the service and respond to the concerns raised.” 

Concerns were raised about bus route changes which would affect anyone from the Bebington area as it would now take 2 buses to get to Arrowe Park due to the closure of the Centre at Eastham.

At the AGM of the CCG questions were raised about Eastham Walk in Centre were but there were still many unable to be asked as this was cut short by their officers so the concerns could not be raised in full. There seemed to be avoidance from them on getting back onto the subject of the Walk in Centre.

The following motion was moved by Councillor Gilchrest and it was unanimously seconded by all the committee members:

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED :-

This committee

1. Condemns the closure of the valued local facility at Eastham Walk in Centre.

2. Objects to the way in which ‘temporary’ closure was brought about with inadequate consultation and limited notice.

3. Wishes to highlight the resultant distress and inconvenience caused to residents in the communities of southern Wirral who face reduced transport links to the service at Arrowe Park.

4. Calls upon the Clinical commissioning Group to re-instate this local service without further delay.

5. Requests the Constituency Manager to convey this resolution to officers of the Clinical Commissioning Group.