Watford MP Richard Harrington has described the services of the Avenue Clinic, managed by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) as “incredibly valuable for the local community.”
Mr Harrington visited The Avenue Clinic in Watford to catch up with staff, and see first-hand the many different services on offer to local residents. He explained afterwards how impressed he was with the amount of support available to patients to ensure they can be cared for in or nearby their homes, something which is increasingly important. The Watford MP enthused about the range of services providing health care so close to home. He said: “There are so many different parts to the NHS in Watford and for me the HCT is one of the less well known but incredibly helpful services. “What I’ve seen today, with so many services in one building, has been a revelation. I do believe this is the future. There is so much pressure on GP surgeries and hospitals and the answer is to treat people at home, and the trust do that.” The visit doubled as a check-up when Mr Harrington had a Digital Retinal Screening, a photograph used to check on the health of the eye and also to screen for diabetes patients. He also spoke with Mike and Devie Shaw, who brought their 11 month-old daughter Robyn to see Health Visitor Tracey Carter for a routine development check. At these routine checks, Health Visitors look at whether young children are meeting their development milestones and give advice on important issues such as dental health and safety in the home. “As a first-time parent it is very reassuring to see someone and check you’re doing the right things,” Mike explained. “The health visitors have been very good. They’re always available to speak to or visit at the local clinic. They treat you as an individual and are very attentive.” Julie Hoare, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust’s Director of Operations, met Mr Harrington at the clinic and introduced him to nurses and Health Visitors. She said: “It was great to have Mr Harrington come and see the hard work of the clinic staff and the wide-reaching impact they have in the local community. It was good to hear that he learned a lot from meeting staff, who shared their expertise, and witnessed how our services support patients. He was particularly interested in coming to see our Health Visitors working in the community and we’d welcome him back any time.”
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