East Cowes Medical Centre Fails Check-Up

By Lucy Morgan Fri, 05 October 2012 7:00AM

Leave a comment!
View more images

It seems a prescription is needed to sort out the problems at the new East Cowes Medical Centre.

Town Councillor Morris Barton has called the centre on Church Path in the town, "A perfect example of architects never actually interviewing doctors or patients about what kind of environment they'd like to live in or work in."

"A perfect example of architects never actually interviewing doctors or patients about what kind of environment they'd like to live in or work in."

The surgery opened on 19 September to replace facilities at Down House on York Avenue. That site will be developed into housing.

Beset with problems

The new surgery has been beset with problems, including a temperamental lift and communication failures between the surgery and local pharmacies.

Elderly and poorly patients have to leave their cars in a controlled car park at a neighbouring supermarket and access the surgery on the first floor.

A wonderful opportunity

East Cowes Town Councillor Morris Barton told Isle of Wight Radio, "It was a wonderful opportunity for the town but in terms of how it works it is lacking a human touch."

"The seating's like a railway station...I am a long term patient there. The doctors are excellent there and I wouldn't want to criticise them...but if you are ill and waiting to see a doctor you want some surroundings that give you some comfort. You could write a whole story about the faults.”

NHS to meet councillor

A spokesman for the NHS said: "Representatives from East Cowes GP Practice, Southampton Hampshire Isle of Wight and Portsmouth (SHIP) PCT Cluster and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) [all the organisatons involved the building] will be meeting with Cllr Webster shortly to discuss the teething problems experienced by patients as services settle into this brand new state of the art building.

"Isle of Wight NHS Trust will be moving into the building on the 23rd October. All organisations involved in the development and use of the new building are keen that patients should have a good experience when using the new facilities and be proud of this new facility which is an important part of the regeneration of East Cowes," they concluded.

2 people like this.
Charlene Mccranor I like it its clean not like the old one you don't feel like everyone is looking at you. stupid. guy saying train station I'm there to get seen to and go not mothers meeting. we have to move on east cowes elders seem. to moan at everything!

about an hour ago via mobile · Edited · Like · 1
Kim Newbery Its nice that the blame has actually fallen on the right people for a change!

about an hour ago via mobile · Like
Emma Lawrence i like it its not like the old one where it was dark and you were all sat on top of each other. This one has lots of space and airy and is very clean. Yes they have had a few problems with the lift but im sure they will sort it out. Come on dont knock the place every new building has its teething problems. Like charlene said it does seem to be all the east cowes elders moaning at everything again. We cant live in the dark ages its 2012.

52 minutes ago · Like · 2
Robin Harrison About time the architects were blamed,and fancy not accommodating the dental clinic in the project! The patients who want dental services in East Cowes now have to go to Shanklin! A joke indeed

41 minutes ago · Like
Carl Deakin It's very nice unless your disabled and can't get in it!!!!! Very helpful whose idea it was to put it in the second floor well done my client can't get in the lift.

20 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Amanda Ring My mum can't go up stairs as she has really bad vertigo that when she gets to the top she can see through the glass and to the ground floor, she's in early 70's and now refuses to go to the doctor!

19 minutes ago via mobile · Like