Heather Kidd, Shropshire Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen, has persuaded the new Director of Public Health* at Shropshire Council to make sure that health checks being implemented for Shropshire residents are carried out for those who have doctors in Wales.
Heather said “The problem we have is that quite large numbers of residents along the border have doctors across the dyke and therefore come under a different healthcare system. In my Division alone most people in Chirbury, Priest Weston and Marton use the doctors practice in Montgomery.
“The danger is that large numbers of these patients which are entitled to services such as aneurism scanning which are being introduced in England but not yet in Wales. Given the poor ambulance response times along the border, preventative medicine is really important to us.
“I have asked Mr Thompson to ensure that we are not overlooked in the provision of these services when the Council takes charge.”
Nots: The Government have transferred most Public Health Functions to local Councils as part of the reorganisation of health services in England. These include preventative care – e.g. campaigns to reducing smoking. aneurism screening, cervical smears etc. Rod Thompson has been appointed to head this service in Shropshire.