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Councillors and committees

Agenda item

Proposal to Amalgamate GP Practice Sites - Dunston Health Centre and GlenPark Medical Practice

Report of Partners of Glenpark Medical Practice.

Minutes:

Dr Jonathan Harness, partner at Glenpark Medical Practice provided the OSC with the rationale to amalgamate their two practices in to one purpose built medical centre and the engagement carried out so far with patients and stakeholders.

 

Over the last 14 years, the practice, with the support of Gateshead Council and Newcastle CCG has sought to build premises fit for 21st Century medicine within Dunston. This is now coming to fruition with the new Health Centre currently being built as part of the Gateshead Council’s Ravensworth Road redevelopment.

 

The existing two surgeries are currently 0.7 miles apart. As a result of the fact that they are both in the same ‘village’, so close together and used entirely interchangeably by staff and patient’ alike (i.e. all patients are registered with the practice, NOT at the branch surgery), there is confusion every day with patients turning up at the wrong site.

 

The new premises are about 200m further along Ravensworth Road, close to the corner with Ellison Road, as part of the new development with Aldi, Clavering Court (older person’s living accommodation) and Boots Pharmacy. It is therefore closer to the bus routes that use Ellison Road as well as maintaining access to bus routes along Ravensworth Road, and closer to Dunston Health Centre (i.e. there is now only about ½ mile between the two premises; around 2 min drive or 12 min walk). The building is due to be completed in mid-December.

 

The building has a floor area greater than the two current premises combined and was designed with the ability to allow for future expansion.

 

Dr Harness outlined the two primary goals for the amalgamation as follows:-

 

1) Improved financial stability for the practice. The practice has seen a significant drop in its income in the last couple of years as a result of a lower investment in primary care, increasing running costs and the withdrawal of the PMS contract (which alone resulted in a loss of £175k pa from the budget). NHS Property Services own Dunston Health Centre and have been increasing their costs way above primary care budget increases and the practice has no control over the costs they are charging; indeed despite best endeavours the practice has not been able to engage in meaningful discussions with them. In short, without significant financial savings the long-term tenability of the practice is in doubt with resultant unthinkable consequences to the patients and surrounding practices. The only two realistic costs that can make worthwhile savings are staff and premises; reducing staff will have an impact on patient access which the practice clearly wish to avoid.

 

2) Improve operational efficiency. The practice cannot maintain the same level of service at both sites. Whilst core services are offered, specialist equipment is too expensive to maintain at both sites. As previously mentioned, appointments and/or time is lost every day as a result of patients turning up at the wrong site and either having to rebook or travel to the other site. A single site would reduce the time spent by staff travelling between the two sites, increases flexibility in the deployment of both medical and support staff – all of which can be reinvested in patient care.

 

Dr Harness also informed the Committee of the results of the Health Centre Consultation, showing overwhelming support for the proposal. Local MP’s and local councillors have also been consulted, and one has formally supported the scheme.

 

Other local GP Practices have also been consulted but no impact on them is envisaged, since there will be no need for any patients to re-register elsewhere. The Local Medical Committee has offered its support. Gateshead Care Partnership (primarily Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in conjunction with Gateshead Council and Gateshead Community Based Care) which runs the community services and occupies space within Dunston Health Centre also support this proposal in principle (indeed discussions are ongoing with them to discuss utilising some space within the new premises to increase co-operative working to the benefit of the patients).

 

The intention is to now submit a formal request to close Dunston Health Centre, with a closure date sometime in January to ensure that any operational or building snags are ironed out from the move from the old Glenpark to the new premises.

 

RESOLVED -

i)

That the information be noted

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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