THE DIRECTOR of the Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group has penned an open letter to Haslemere residents, encouraging them to attend workshops concerning access to urgent care services.

Written by Vicky Stobbart, the letter tells residents that “no decisions have been made and there are currently no options on the table”, but that the group is working with local health and care partners to engage with the public to see what changes need to be made to meet the needs of residents.

She said: “While we know that walk-in facilities such as the minor injuries unit cannot remain as they are due to new standards published by NHS England, we are still in very early conversation with the public and really welcome everyone’s feedback.

“Our focus is on developing urgent care services that meet the needs of the population but also address the requirements being set out nationally.”

A “series of engagement workshops” are to be held across September, which the group hopes will “encourage local people to come along and help us understand what matters most to them when accessing urgent care services”.

Once initial engagements have been completed, the group will be “looking at what people have told us with local clinicians to consider the best options for the future”.

Ms Stobbart said: “If significant changes are being proposed we will run a formal public

consultation.

“Importantly, this review is looking at services right across Guildford and Waverley and beyond, which includes – but is not limited to – the Haslemere area.”

The first meeting is set to take place on Monday, September 16, at the Haslewey Community Centre from 6pm–8.30pm.