We went to the Festival of Kindness and Aireborough Leisure Centre to chat with people living in the Otley area.
We caught up with 6 people at these Big Leeds Chats. What did people in Otley & Aireborough say?
People in Otley and Aireborough told us about the trouble they’d had accessing health services during the pandemic. GP surgeries were an important one, with people finding remote appointments really quite alienating. Dentists and baby clinics were also mentioned. Locals in Otley and Aireborough would appreciate more communication about what’s reopening and when.
People also talked about the great things fitness and leisure schemes offer at the moment, as well as the ways they can be improved.
Finally, we heard that bus services needed to be improved, with better links around the local area.
What next steps for Otley & Aireborough did our decision-makers take away from their chats?
“Should there be a consistent approach to primary care access as different surgeries do different things?”
“We certainly need to get the balance between efficiency of phone work versus face to face.”
“GP is key to people’s satisfaction with NHS and it seems we have a mismatch between demand and capacity. Also people don’t like new booking systems which suggests debate or change needed.”
“Clearly people are really keen to exercise and public services like Aireborough Leisure Centre are clearly valued. However, how do we increase different ways people can exercise at a time of funding constraints?”
