HEALTH bosses have vowed to slash waiting times for physiotherapy services after a popular Radcliffe physio, who provided services to GPs for 22 years, had his contract cancelled.

Patients of Andrew Kaye, who worked with the Redbank Group Practice, have been left furious by the decision announced by the NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) last month.

The matter was discussed by Bury Council's health scrutiny committee and health and wellbeing board last week, with the CCG promising to bring down waiting times across the borough to two weeks.

However, Redbank patients have been angered as they are suddenly facing waits of more than a month for appointments compared to the prompt care they are used to receive, with plans for a replacement service yet to be finalised.

Cllr Rishi Shori, Bury Council deputy leader, said: “It’s very disappointing for the people who used the previous service, where they could get very quick attention in terms of physiotherapy support to ease the pain of their conditions.

“We have a commitment from the CCG that they will look to reduce waiting times in relation to the new physiotherapy service and I will be monitoring that performance closely to ensure the patients aren’t put to any disadvantage.”

The decision to cancel Mr Kaye’s contract was roundly criticised for being made without any consultation with local doctors and patients.

Radcliffe resident Harry Howarth, who has been a patient of Mr Kaye's at Redbank for 20 years, said: “The decision by the CCG has caused me personal anger, stress and untold problems. Andrew Kaye has done more good for me than anyone else I have seen over the years.

“People like me and those far worse off rely on him to help us with our quality of life, and now that has been taken away from us.

“I find it absolutely disgraceful that this has been done without any consultation with the doctors or patients in the area. We have been treated shabbily."

He added: “I have now been waiting over a month for an appointment because there is no kind of replacement service in place. At the very least, the CCG should offer Andrew Kaye a short-term contract, if he wants one, so that there is some kind of service available for people now.”

He also expressed concerns over the cost and difficulty of travelling to Fairfield Hospital for patients in Radcliffe.

Doug Galvin, a Redbank patient and patient representative to the CCG, added: “Assurances have been given that the new service will be delivered five days a week and that the maximum referral time will be two weeks.

“This has to be accessible to all patients and I will be monitoring the programme to ensure that the people of Radcliffe get the care that they deserve.”

Dr Kiran Patel, chairman and clinical lead for Bury CCG said: “We are finalising arrangements to ensure a more equitable approach to providing physiotherapy for all patients. In the coming weeks, patients will have a choice of accessing physiotherapy in one of a number of community locations right across the borough, or at hospital if they prefer.

“The Physiotherapy Team from Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust work very hard to keep waiting times for our patients to a minimum. Currently, for urgent referrals, patients are offered a first appointment within seven days, and for non-urgent referrals within four weeks.

“We will monitor access to the service and expect that these waiting times will be maintained as we move into the new arrangements where a range of community locations will be offered for the benefit of local patients.”