The CCG response to our complaint

What I would have expected from the meeting was

1.For the CCG to select a venue that was accessible and acceptably clean and not an infection risk to vulnerable attendees.

2.For the CCG to have clear purpose for a meeting whether that be information sharing or consultation. Well researched and prepared presentations that include:

a. Details of proposed changes: What the current situation is – number of professionals in each group in a primary care trust; why the changes are needed; the changes in details; evidence of trials and the outcomes of those trials

b. Impact of changes on patients: how will patients engage with the new systems; what are the impacts on patient safety; what are the benefits ad disbenefits to patients

c.After presenting the information, welcome questions from the floor so that all participants can clarify details.

3.Reach out to patients and patient groups to design the event to see what we would like from the meeting.

Thank you for getting in touch and providing feedback on Haringey CCG’s public meeting which took place on Thursday 10 October at Tottenham Green Leisure Centre.

We are very sorry to hear of the concerns you have raised about the event.

I want to assure you that we are fully committed to engaging and involving local residents in the planning and development of local health services. Our public meetings are one of several ways in which we do this. We have established a very strong partnership with local voluntary and community sector organisation Bridge Renewal Trust and Healthwatch Haringey which, over the years, has helped us to engage with diverse community/ patient groups and inform our commissioning work, as well as the structure of our public meetings, which are attended by a cross-section of the community. We are always looking for new ways to engage the diverse population of Haringey as this is very important to us. With all the developments taking place in the NHS to better integrate services we wanted to demonstrate, at this year’s meeting, how we are working with residents and partners across the health and care system to develop and deliver more joined up services in the borough to improve outcomes for local people.

We focused specifically on primary care networks and some of the integrated care work taking place in North Tottenham.

We also wanted to use this event as an opportunity to get feedback from residents on these initiatives, and on how we can ensure that our approach will provide high quality care which meet the needs of local residents.

As part of the meeting’s format, we allocated time for table discussions where attendees had the chance to share their views and experiences, as well as ask questions. In response to previous feedback, we opted for this format to give individuals who are less comfortable or confident in asking questions or sharing their views in front of a larger audience an opportunity to still have their say – that way everyone gets a chance.

Where we were unable to answer questions we have committed to providing a response postmeeting. We are sorry that you weren’t able to get the answers to the questions you raised about physician associates at the meeting. We have made a note of them and will provide a response to you shortly. We will be publishing a full meeting report which we will also share with you once it is available.

In regards to the venue, again we are sorry that you had an unpleasant experience.

We always aim to hold public meetings in accessible venues and do try to source a ground floor level space. Where this is not feasible we always ensure we use accessible venues with lift facilities.

The images and feedback you have provided clearly indicate that some facilities at the venue were not of a high standard, which is unacceptable, and we will ensure that the concerns raised are shared with the venue’s management team.

We welcome any suggestions you may have of alternative venues we could use for future meetings.

Thanks again for your valuable feedback which we will use to inform improvements for future events.

If you have any further questions or comments, please contact us on 020 3688 2729 or harccg.comms@nhs.net

Yours sincerely



Tony Hoolaghan Chief Operating Officer Haringey and Islington CCGs