AS a patient at Locking Hill Surgery I have always felt they have provided an excellent service and have always felt well supported by my named doctor, nurses and the practice in general.

Like every patient I share the frustration of how difficult it is to get a short-notice appointment but do find that innovations like the Patient Access App on my phone mean I’m able to book appointments with the doctor of my choice at a convenient time, and enables me to request repeat prescriptions.

I think the “bad report” by the Inspectors has to be seen in the context of the Government’s self inflicted funding crisis in the NHS.

A crisis which means that there are national and local shortages of trained doctors and nurses.

A crisis which means that a practice which is creaking at the seams in its current building, despite years of trying, cannot compete in the property market for a new practice buildings.

I have little faith in whether the money spent on inspecting doctor services is actually helping drive improvements in the services we receive.

It is like the infantry coming along after the battle and bayoneting the survivors.

That is not to say that I am complacent about the concerns the inspectors report raises but it doesn’t all suggest a failing services as in some cases, the reports findings are based on lack of evidence from the practice.

Perhaps their failure was not investing in consultants to advise them how to tick the boxes the inspectors were looking for rather than continuing to focus on the front-line service?

General Practice has changed from the days when my late Uncle and Aunt were in GP practice (the surgery was originally two or three rooms within their home) and it will continue to evolve.

However, we are in danger of losing the personal service that has been a centre piece of NHS funded General Practice to be replaced by big companies backed by hedge funds interested only in how much profit they can make.

We have already seen this happen to dentistry and pharmacy services but we must not let this happen to GP services here.

As patients we must be critical friends offering praise where it is deserved and honest feedback where the practice could improve; But above all we need to stay loyal to a practice which has served Stroud well for many years, otherwise we risk facing loosing something of great value to future generations.

Chas Townley

Stroud district councillor for Uplands