GPs are under two Trusts

I would like to comment in response to Cllr Justice's letter regarding NHS treatment for patients of Chadwell Heath Health Centre (Post, 2 September).

We recognise there is a problem for patients at this health centre who need to access a variety of community health services and who would like to use the excellent services located in that building.

We have been working with NHS colleagues for some time to find a solution.

Across the country, GP practice boundaries do not always match the boroughs in which people live.

For the majority of people, this is not be a problem, but for some on the border of several different areas it can cause issues, such as this highlighted by Cllr Justice.

When primary care trusts were set up in 2001, the GPs in Chadwell Heath Health Centre decided to be on the GP performers list of NHS Havering.

This means NHS Havering, rather than NHS Barking and Dagenham, is responsible for commissioning health services for patients registered with these GPs.

Each of the GP practices has more patients on their list who are resident in Barking and Dagenham rather than in either of the neighbouring boroughs and so changing the jurisdiction of these GP practices to NHS Barking and Dagenham would seem logical. We have been talking to the GPs in all three practices and they agree there would be benefits to their patients, as NHS Barking and Dagenham would take over responsibility for commissioning health services for those patients. We are now in discussion with NHS Havering to try to make this happen.

Stephen Langford

Interim Chief Executive

NHS Barking and Dagenham