Richard EdwardsBBC North Yorkshire political reporter
Richard Edwards/BBC
Diane Pickup says she has been asked to make a 12-mile round trip for blood pressure tests
A former NHS worker has said she faces 12-mile round-trips on her mobility scooter for healthcare because her local medical centre was still shut after a flood in June.
Diane Pickup, from Scarborough, who has high blood pressure, said she was concerned the ongoing closure of the town’s Eastfield Medical Centre would make her condition worse.
Ms Pickup said the situation she found herself in was “absolutely disgusting, I’m furious. It needs to open again”.
In a statement posted online, staff at the centre said they understood how “distressing and frustrating” the situation was for patients and were “awaiting instruction” from the site’s landlord “regarding the repair schedule and next steps”.
According to the statement, clinical rooms offered by St Catherine’s Hospice at its site in Newby, six miles away, were currently in use by the centre instead.
“This prolonged disruption has affected both staff and patients, and we completely share your frustration at the lack of visible progress,” the statement said.
“Please be assured we are exhausting every possible avenue to restore services to Eastfield as quickly and safely as we can.”
‘Lost faith’
Ms Pickup said her most recent appointment had been due to take place at the St Catherine’s site in Newby, but she had made the decision to turn it down.
“I can’t get there. It’s too far for me. It’s cold, I have physical disabilities,” she explained.
“The hill to get to the hospice is so steep, I’m worried about getting my mobility scooter up there and back again.
“I haven’t had my blood pressure checked in months. They put me on high blood pressure tablets and said they needed to be checked to see if they’re working.”
Kenneth Elbourne, an Eastfield town councillor, said Ms Pickup was not alone in being affected by the closure of the centre and he received regular complaints about people’s struggles to get an appointment.
“This has been going on for more than 17 weeks. We have had no information about what is happening,” he said.
“The cost for people to get a taxi and back to St Catherine’s is £19 each way. There is no way people can afford that. I am livid about it.”
Meanwhile, Eastfield town councillor Alan Hyde said: “I am totally frustrated. They need to get their fingers out and get the place open again.
“It’s been so long since it had the flood, people have lost faith and they are looking to go elsewhere, but they can’t do that because it is a 12-mile round trip.”
Richard Edwards/BBC
Eastfield town councillor Kenneth Elbourne said he was “totally frustrated” by the ongoing closure
Alison Hume, Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said she was “very concerned” about the prolonged closure of the Eastfield centre.
Hume said one of her constituents had been told they needed to see a clinician “urgently”, but was then told to wait for 17 days.
“This can’t go on as it is. I would have expected the practice to find alternative accommodation for their GP service. They haven’t done so,” she said.
“I know they’re using rooms – utilising St Catherine’s Hospice – but they really do need to find an alternative service for their patients.”
Hume said she had written twice to the practice manager, to the North Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board and to Stephen Kinnock, the minister for primary care, to request an urgent meeting.
“I do understand the issues cause by serious flooding. But, at the same time, my constituents need to see a GP in a timely way,” Hume said.
Meanwhile, Tom Seston, Reform UK’s group leader on North Yorkshire Council, who represents Eastfield, agreed the ongoing closure had been “a struggle” for patients who relied on the medical centre.
A “lack of information” had meant further frustration, he said, but added that he knew staff had been working hard “behind the scenes” to provide health services at various sites across Scarborough.
“After months of floundering we’re still waiting for repair work to commence,” Seston said.
Eastfield Medical Centre has been asked by the BBC for a comment on the situation and any update on when repair work might begin at the site.