Surgeries in Skegness won't cope - fear

Marigold Chiswell, of the Patient Participation Group at Beacon Medical Practice which has surgeries in Ingoldmells and nearby Chapel St Leonards as well as Skegness, was in favour of the contribution by Hardy’s Animal Farm regarding there plan for a new holiday park with 1,000 caravans.

She said: “I feel that the owners who are planning the new developments should make a contribution to the infrastructure in regard to the Beacon Medical Practice.

“The Chapel surgery is now not fit for purpose - so how will it be able to cope with the influx of people - many of whom are residents for many months of each year?

“It is accepted that everyone, whether they be temporary or permanent residents, have a right to receive medical treatment. There is the added problem that the Hawthorne medical Practice has a cut-off point at Winthorpe for new patients.”

Orby resident Gillian Watson said: “Unless you are a visitor you cannot get a doctor’s appointment. The urgent care centre is at times overwhelmed.”

And Chapel St Leonards resident Sheri Burdett said: “People can’t get to see a doctor because they are seeing visitors.”

However, Hardy’s development director Stuart Hardy said: “This request has never, either before or since, been asked of any other development and in one recent application in Chapel St Leonards, the NHS specifically said that a request wasn’t 
appropriate.

“Basically, this request was unprecedented and ELDC unanimously agreed.”