Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois had a long discussion on the healthcare needs of his constituents when he paid a recent visit to the headquarters of the Castle Point and Rochford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in Castle Road, Rayleigh.
Mark met with Dr Kashif Saddiqui, chair of the CCG, and Mr Ian Stidston, the Accountable Officer (Chief Executive) of the group, which helps to coordinate NHS services in the Castlepoint and Rochford Area and which commissions hospital services from Southend Hospital.
During their meeting Mark raised a number of issues, including access to GP appointments, fertility treatment and the new Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) to help improve hospital and community services in the South Essex area.
Commenting on his meeting, Mark Francois said:
“I know that healthcare and the workings of the NHS are issues which are of great interest to my constituents and so it was very useful to have a meeting with the heads of our local Clinical Commissioning Group. I will be keeping a close eye on the roll out of the STP to try and ensure that it offers a genuine improvement in service for my constituents. As part of this, I asked a number of questions about how patients will be transferred between the three hospitals and I am still awaiting answers on how this system will work in practice.”