Agenda item

The Mayor advised that she had agreed (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.6) to accept the following item as an emergency motion, with copies tabled for members at the meeting.  This had been on the basis of the reasons for urgency provided in advance of the meeting.

Having welcomed the Mayor’s decision, Councillor Hamilton moved and Councillor Alev Cazimoglu seconded the following motion:

“Enfield Council believes that general practice is the solution to many of the current problems facing the NHS but general practice cannot achieve its full potential while being seriously damaged by:

·                the continuing disinvestment in general practice;

·                the lack of premises investment;

·                the rapid reduction in the number of GPs due to government policies;

We know that going forward between now and 2020, Enfield will have a real shortage of GPs and primary care provision.  The need in Enfield is more urgent given the closure of Chase Farm Hospital A&E.

On 19 June 2015 the Secretary of State for Health announced that 5,000 doctors were needed to fix the health crisis.

Both in terms of the number of GPs and practice surgery facilities the Government has made a commitment for 7 day NHS service.  The same commitment made in 2010!

The number of GPs in Enfield is expected to have to rise by 84 from its current levels of 167 over the next five years—an increase of some 50%, and that just to get adequate cover by 2020.   According to the Royal College of General Practitioners, that leaves Enfield the 17th worst hit Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) out of 212 across the country.

Enfield Council  is committed to doing all that we can to lobby government and work with the CCG to make adequate funding available as a matter of urgency  to address the Primary Care service in Enfield in order to meet the health care needs for Enfield Residents.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care is requested to create a campaign strategy and lobby approach to Government so that Enfield Council, with partners, are best placed as early as possible to pressurise the Government for extra resources for Enfield residents”

In opening the debate on the motion, Councillor Neville moved and Councillor Rye seconded the following amendment:

(a)       To end the first paragraph after “NHS” and delete the following wording “but general practice cannot achieve its full potential while being seriously damaged by:

·                the continuing disinvestment in general practice;

·                the lack of premises investment;

·                the rapid reduction in the number of GPs due to government policies;”

(b)       To amend the final paragraph as follows (changes highlighted in bold) in order to ensure a joint approach towards the development and delivery of any lobbying campaign:

“The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care and Shadow Cabinet Member is are requested to write a joint letter to the Secretary of State and create a campaign strategy and lobby approach to Government so that Enfield Council, with partners are best placed as early as possible to pressurise the Government for extra resources for Enfield residents.”

Following a short debate, the amendment was put to the vote and lost with the following result:

For: 18

Against: 34

Abstentions: 0

Consideration of the substantive (unamended) motion then continued and following a further period of debate the motion was put to the vote and agreed, with the following result:

For: 34

Against: 16

Abstentions: 1