THE admission by Haringey Primary Care Trust at the Muswell Hill area assembly and at its board meeting on January 29 and 30 respectively, that it will introduce polyclinics without further formal public consultation, came as no surprise but is still unac

THE admission by Haringey Primary Care Trust at the Muswell Hill area assembly and at its board meeting on January 29 and 30 respectively, that it will introduce polyclinics without further formal public consultation, came as no surprise but is still unacceptable.

Disregarding much public and political opposition and numerous serious concerns which have yet to be addressed, the PCT claims it is acting in the public's interest and states in reports "no change is not an option" and "the Overview & Scrutiny Committee is satisfied with the consultations".

However the scrutiny committee should not have approved the PCT's consultation as it was badly flawed, and key aspects of it were misrepresented in the PCT's written and aural responses to the O&SC. But the O&SC never noticed!

The PCT acknowledges something isn't quite right and its draft operating plan for 2008/9 recognises the risk of "the potential for legal challenge to the consultation process".

A proposal of the 'final version' of the Primary Care Strategy has been rescheduled from March to May 6.

And the PCT have hired a self-serving community consultancy firm to allay people's fears and to convince them that polyclinics, centralisation of services and the Darzi Plan are fab.

The PCT is scared to run an honest consultation. It knows that if it ever gave an option like improving the existing GP practices and chemists - which are in the community, are accessible and have a proven track record of providing care - or providing a few more services which are expensive and unproven, the public would choose GP practices and chemists. Wouldn't they?

MARIO PETROU

St Ann's Road, N15