26th July - Don't Renew Centene

AT Medics' contracts to run Hanley Road Primary Care Centre and Mitchison Surgery are set to expire on the 31st of July. Many local people have contacted you in the last month to express their desire to see AT Medics removed from those practices because of the involvement of Operose Health, which is a company wholly owned by an American corporation, Centene. As a local patient, I am writing to ask you to not renew AT Medics' Hanley Road Primary Care Centre and Mitchison Road Surgery contracts for any longer than you need in order to tender and re-procure that service with a more suitable provider. Centene, as has been brought to your attention for many months now, has an atrocious track record here in England of everything from abandoning GP contracts they consider unprofitable to using non-GPs for work that should be done by qualified GPs. This is to say nothing of their track record in the US. The CCG's job involves taking patient feedback into account in making decisions about commissioning decisions.  Thank you very much for your time. I will be watching to see if you listen to patients in making your decision as the contracts expire on the 31st of this month. Here are 5 stories from 5 Islington patients that demonstrate why you should not renew AT Medics’ contracts to run those surgeries for longer than you need to get a new provider. 
 Jane Ward 
"I am registered with this practice as my primary care provider. I wish to express my grave concern about the provision of primary care in the UK being under the control of a US company that puts profit before people's care. There is clear evidence of this profit-greedy company impacting on the quality of care for residents: it openly states in its annual report of 2019 that it will "divest of activities that have not met profitability targets". This means that surgeries may be closed, the level of staffing may be reduced, face-to-face contact between doctor and patient may be limited -- all having a negative effect on the quality of care given to patients."
 Name Withheld
"I have been registered as a patient at the practice now called Hanley Road Primary Care Centre ever since it was located in Tollington Park.  I am 74. Since Centene has taken over the practice, I have experienced a marked deterioration in my care.
For many years I have been receiving annual blood tests.  Until 2019, I was given a general blood test to check if my medication was affecting me adversely in any way and to check up on my general health.  It was through such blood tests that I was discovered to be pre-diabetic and consequently have had to adjust my diet. This year, I was told that my blood test would only be checking on organs that might be affected by my medication (and at my request, cholesterol & thyroid - as I only have half a thyroid, following a past operation).  I queried this, in view of the general tests I had been given annually for many years.  I was told they would no longer be done this way and indeed, my blood test in 2020 (with AT Medics) had been carried out according to the same limited criteria.
I am fortunate in that my health is generally good.  However, I have needed to consult a doctor once in the past 3 years because of a lump under my skin over my eye and phoned for an appointment to see a GP.  I was seen by a 'clinician' who told me she was a trainee doctor, who in fact did refer me to the hospital.  In the past, I always saw a GP for any medical problem. This year, when I had my yearly medication review, I was phoned by another 'clinician' who told me he was a pharmacist (as far as I'm aware, the practice doesn't have a pharmacy).  Similarly, in past years I have always seen a GP for a medication review.
About 2 weeks ago, I received a phone call from someone who I believe was on the reception team who had been asked to ring round patients taking one of my medications (which I have had for well over a decade) to tell us that the medication in question was found to have a risk of causing cancer.  I told her that I wasn't minded to change.  It had taken a very long time to find medication to control my high blood pressure for which I had been attending Barts Hospital and if the risk was so serious, I'm sure a GP would have phoned me and I would, in turn, have requested to return to Barts for a change of prescription.
A week later, I got a phone call from the pharmacist concerning my medication review who told me that one of my medications could cause serious heart problems.  Again, I explained the problem about controlling my blood pressure and requested an appointment at Barts, which was refused. I found this sequence of events to be very unprofessional and, knowing Centene's back story, I don't really trust their motives for wanting to cut back on my medication.  And I certainly don't want to return to the days when my blood pressure was 220/120.
This is certainly not the 'care' that I have been accustomed to receiving from the NHS and I am actively looking to change my surgery as I no longer have confidence in this practice."
 Valerie Ames
"My son has Ulcerative Colitis which means he will need medical treatment his entire life. If he was part of one of the GP practices owned by Centene, would he continue to be accepted as a patient as he is an obvious drain on the system and will not add to profit? I'm sure you would agree that would not be acceptable but can you guarantee that would not happen in a future where GP practices are owned by private, commercial businesses? My concern is also that, if GP practices are not profitable, what else are Centene looking for?"
 Dr Andrew Morris 
"I am extremely happy with my GP surgery - Ritchie Street, Islington - where I volunteer to be on the Patient Participation Group. Knowing the partners personally, knowing their understanding of and commitment to our neighbourhood fills me with confidence about the advice and treatment they give to me personally.Trust is the foundation of this. This is also why I have been happy for them to store confidential information about me. I cannot trust a remote corporation based in a fundamentally different commercial health system. I would not be content to share my data with them. I am therefore opposed to the sale of any GP surgeries in Islington and ask that the current sale of two should be reversed as soon as practicable."
 
Sylvia Whitehouse
"I am writing to express my horror at the news that some GP practices in Islington have been taken over by a private American company Centene. I have been lucky enough to be with the same GP practice since we moved to Finsbury Park 43 years ago. I have serious medical conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and I trust the doctors at my practice absolutely to support my health and seek the best treatment they can for me. The thought that this could be destroyed if in the future the Practice was taken over by one of these companies is appalling. The GP practices are the bedrock of our NHS at the patient level and should be safeguarded above all else. Private American Companies interested in making a quick buck and harvesting our data to sell on at vast profits would be the start of the destruction of what people in this country treasure most -a not-for-profit health service where services are not farmed out to private American companies who cut to the bone and even in some cases replace doctors with less qualified medical staff."

To North Central London CCG: Hear us and scrap Centene

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