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Our ref: TM/CM

Date: 3 March 2011

XXXXXXXX Councillor Teresa Murray

Acting Chief Executive Member for Rochester East Ward
318 City Way Rochester ME1 2BL
NHS Medway Tel: (01634) 409486
50 Pembroke Court teresamurraytm@aol.com
Chatham Maritime
Chatham
Kent
ME4 4EL

Dear XXXXX

A large number of constituents in recent days have contacted me to complain

about the fact that Blood Testing services are being withdrawn from Gun Lane
Health Centre in Strood and from the Delce Healthy Living Centre. These
changes have not been notified to the scrutiny committee nor indeed have I
previously heard of any consultation related to removing these important local
services.

I am very worried that vulnerable people and other people who are normally
able-bodied but become ill will be disadvantaged if the services close at the
local Health Centres. It seems to me to be a very false economy for the
services to be withdrawn given the amount of money that has been spent on
improving the local centres together with the fact that previous strategy was
framed to ensure that local people had easy access to services in their
neighbourhood to prevent them experiencing problems with transport and
accessing services at the general hospital.

I would be very grateful to know when the decision to close the Blood Testing
services were made, whether there is any public consultation relating to the
removal of services and whether an impact assessment has been done to
analyse the extent to which the withdrawal of the local services will impact on
the services available at the general hospital.

Yours sincerely,

Teresa Murray
Councillor Teresa Murray
Member for Rochester East Ward