Dear Patients,
Many of you will be aware that last year, the practice had to make the incredibly difficult decision to stop providing the Treatment Room service (dressings, stitch removals). This was due to a lack of funding, which meant we could not cover the staffing costs required to continue offering the service. For many years, we had provided this service at a loss, but unfortunately, this was no longer sustainable.
We understand that over the past few months, many of you have had to travel—sometimes a considerable distance—to access the alternative service put in place by the Commissioner, Lincolnshire ICB. We appreciate that this has been inconvenient and, in some cases, distressing. We recognise that the decision to withdraw the service was difficult to understand, and we sincerely appreciate your patience.
Over the past six months, in collaboration with our GP Federation, K2 Healthcare Ltd, we have been in ongoing discussions and negotiations with the ICB to secure fairer funding for this service. We, along with our colleagues at local practices, have always believed that the best place for patients to receive wound care is at their own surgery, and we never wanted our patients to face this situation.
We are therefore delighted to inform you that our efforts have been successful. The ICB has agreed to increase funding to a fairer and more sustainable level from 1st April 2025, allowing us to reinstate the service. This means that from 1st April 2025, you will once again be able to book dressing appointments with our nursing team.
We hope you agree that this is a hugely positive outcome for our patients, and we thank you for your continued support.
Please bear with us as we work to expand our nursing team back to full capacity. In the interim, the service will continue to be provided at Grantham Health Clinic. Keep an eye out for further updates over the coming months.
Best regards,