Proposed Merger of Derby Road Group Practice and Portsdown Group Practice

Proposed merger of Derby Road Group Practice and Portsdown Group Practice:

Frequently asked questions:

Why do we need to merge? Can’t things stay as they are?

We have to look to the future. The NHS is going through some major re-organisational changes and there is now far more demand on primary care (GP) services than ever before. We need to move with the times, adapt, and plan ahead so that we can meet these challenges and be able to continue to provide the services for you. There are also national challenges around recruiting doctors and nurses and our buildings need to be easily accessible to best serve you.

Also, we know many of you will be sorry to hear thatDr Tim Wilkinson will be retiring from Derby Road Group Practice after 32 years here. This makes it even more necessary that we have plans in place so that you the patient continue to receive the high quality of care that you rightly except and deserve.

By joining up with Portsdown Group Practice we feel that this will allow us to have long-term sustainability, as well as a wider pool of GPs with specialist areas, a wider choice of appointment times, longer opening hours, and a larger workforce.

What are the benefits to patients IF Derby Road surgery re-locates to Kingston Crescent Surgery?

We appreciate that this may be further for some of you to attend but it will also be closer for others. There is a Pharmacy and car park on site and a bus stop located next to the surgery. We can at this point assure you that no decision on this has been made yet and no timescale to date.

If the decision is taken to relocate, this would not happen for many months – and certainly not during 2016. But we feel it would help us achieve all the advantages that we mentioned above – Kingston Crescent is also a much easier building to access, especially for those patients with wheelchairs and mobility issues.

Will this affect Copnor Road Surgery?

No - Copnor Road Branch Surgery will remain open.

Will I be still be able to see the GP or nurse I am used to?

Yes - individual patients will still be able to see the GP or Nurse they prefer and get the NHS services they need, although Dr Wilkinson is planning to retire in March 2017. Being a part of a bigger GP practice should be to your advantage long term.

Is there are threat to staff jobs at either practice?

No there is no threat to staff jobs. This proposal is all about improving our long-term viability and efficiency and ensuring the high quality of care you currently receive remains – and retaining our staff is vital to achieving our long-term vision for your future healthcare.

Do I have to stay with the merged practice?

No – of course you are free at anytime to register with another GP practice. Of course we hope that you stay with us, as we feel that once the initial changes have taken place that we will be providing an excellent service to our patients.

Do we have to seek approval to merge?

Yes, we have to consult closely with both NHS England and NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). This process is well under way and we are also keeping key organisations informed across the city.

When will this happen?

Any formal decision for us to merge will need to be ratified by NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which will need to be satisfied that the move is in your best interests as patients. The CCG has agreed several other mergers in the past year to help protect NHS services. It is likely to discuss our proposals at a meeting in October. We hope the formal merger will go through in April 2017.

How will you keep me informed about developments and who can I speak to about this?

We will update this QA every now and then – but we will also post information on our website.

We would obviously like to keep our colleagues on reception as free as possible to help with the smooth running of our practice.

If you would like to get in touch with us and raise any questions please contact the Practice Manager at the surgery.

Written correspondences welcome by post or by placing these in the suggestions box located in reception at Derby Road, or alternatively email the Practice on inserting ‘Proposed Merger Feedback’ in the subject line.

If you want a response from us, please do leave us your contact details as we won’t respond to anonymous remarks.

Thank you.