Briefing on the future of primary care services in Bridlington

As at 30 September 2022

Over the next 6 months there will be a number of important changes to General Practice services in the Bridlington area.  In Bridlington, there are currently five GP practices:

• Field House Surgery which is run by Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust (HTFT).
• Humber Primary Care (previously Manor House and Practice Two) which is run by Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust (HTFT). 
• Practice One which is currently being run by Practice Three acting in a caretaker capacity.
• Practice Three which is run by Drs Reddy & Nunn.
• Wolds View which is run by City Health Care Partnership CIC (CHCP).

As a result of contractual arrangements within the NHS, Field House Surgery, Practice One and Wolds View surgery are expected to cease operating under their current arrangements from Friday 31 March 2023.  

We would like to reassure you that work is underway to ensure that everyone is safely and securely transferred over either to Practice Three or Humber Primary Care with no disruption to the care and treatment you’re currently receiving.

We understand that some patients may be concerned to hear this news. You do not need to do anything now.

This is a managed change which requires careful planning, and we are still working on some of the detail.  However, we will be taking you with us throughout this journey, keeping you up to date with our plans and progress. Over the coming months, patients or households registered with Field House Surgery, Practice One and Wolds View will be contacted with details of what you need to do and when.  Until then, please continue to contact your current practice for appointments in the usual way, either by telephone, online or your NHS App.

In the meantime, we have compiled several questions and answers which will hopefully help you understand the reasons behind these changes and reassure you that your care and treatment will not be affected.  These are available below.

We are also planning virtual or face to face public sessions to ensure that you are fully informed about the upcoming changes and can give us your views on how we can make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone as we progress these plans.  More details about these will follow once available.

Questions and Answers

1. Where can I find out more information?

We will be providing different ways for patients to find out more information through local GP practices and the East Riding Health and Care Partnership.  We are also planning to hold some public events over the coming months and more details about these will follow once available. 

2. Which practices are directly affected by this announcement?

The practices in Bridlington operating under aPMS arrangements due to end on 31 March 2023 are Field House Surgery, Practice One and Wolds View.  The receiving practices operating under GMS / PMS arrangements are Humber Primary Care and Practice Three respectively.

3. What does this mean for patients?

The practices operating from Field House Surgery, Practice One and Wolds View are expected to cease operating under their current arrangements on 31 March 2023.  Over the coming months, patients or households registered with these practices will be contacted with details of the transfer arrangements to one of the other practices in Bridlington or another GP practice of their choice, subject to practice catchment areas.

4. Should I change Doctors now?

No.  Due to the large numbers of patients involved, we are asking everyone to be patient and wait until they are contacted with details on what they need to do.

5. How do I know that one of the other two practices will accept me?

Please be assured that work is underway to ensure that there is sufficient capacity and workforce in place to safely manage the transfer of all patients into one of the new practices over the coming months. 

6. Will I be able to choose which practice to register with?

This is a managed change which requires careful planning and this detail is still being worked through.  We will be in touch with patients or households as we progress these plans with details on what you need to do.

7. When will I know which practice I will be asked to register with?

This is a managed change which requires careful planning and this detail is still being worked through.  We will be in touch with patients or households as we progress these plans with details on what you need to do.

8. Can I register with a completely different practice which is not in Bridlington?

This will depend on where you live and whether or not you are in the catchment area of another practice. 

9. What will happen to the staff?

We know this will be an uncertain time for some of the staff, many of whom will have worked in the local area for quite a while.  Workforce is our greatest asset and individual discussions are now underway with all the staff about their future opportunities.

10. Will I still be able to see the same GP?

Like many parts of the NHS over the past few years, Bridlington has experienced challenges recruiting and retaining staff and seen a reduction in clinical and administrative staff employed by those providers delivering primary care services.  In addition, there has been an increase in the number of GP appointments and general workload in primary care.  Over time, we anticipate an improvement in stability of primary care services in Bridlington which will, in turn, improve GP continuity of care.

11. Will the new practices have capacity to take on all the additional patients and associated workload?

Under the clinical leadership of the Bridlington Primary Care Network (PCN), a range of new roles have already been introduced to support general practice, such as pharmacists, Musculo-Skeletal Practitioners, Care Navigators, etc.  Where possible we’re encouraging people to talk to their Care Navigator (receptionist) and give them some basic information about their health complaint or condition. Care Navigators are fully trained to identify who may or may not need to see a doctor and they can direct people to another healthcare professional or service where they can get the right treatment more quickly.  More information is available at www.GetHelpSooner.co.uk

New ways of joined up working have also shown that demand for appointments can be better managed with patients reporting better access.

As usual, we would also ask all patients to continue to help their GP practice by booking appointments and seeking medical advice online via the NHS App or by contacting your GP practice using the online form available on each practice website.  Please also remember to cancel your appointment if you no longer need it.  More information is available at www.HelpYourGP.co.uk

12. What are the different contractual arrangements?

There are three different types of GP contract arrangements used by NHS commissioners in England – General Medical Services (GMS), Personal Medical Services (PMS) and Alternative Provider Medical Services (aPMS).  More information can be found on the Kingsfund website at: GP funding and contracts explained | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)

13. Why are the current providers not interested in renewing their aPMS contracts?

Like many parts of the NHS over the past few years, Bridlington has experienced challenges recruiting and retaining staff and seen a reduction in clinical and administrative staff employed by those providers delivering primary care services.  In addition, there has been an increase in the number of GP appointments and general workload in primary care.  This, in turn, has put the current providers under significant pressure and has meant that opportunities for maximising patient experience haven’t been fully utilised. 

The planned changes aim to remove some of the barriers to closer working and provide wider opportunities for development of the workforce under the PCN leadership.

14. Why can’t you offer like for like services in the existing places through a GMS contract?

No new GMS contracts can be offered by NHS England/Improvement. Instead, aPMS contracts are used under Directions of the Secretary of State for Health and provide the opportunity for locally negotiated contracts with non-NHS bodies, such as voluntary or commercial sector providers, or with GMS/PMS practices to supply enhanced and additional primary medical services.

15. Would it be possible for one of the receiving practices to re-locate or open a branch surgery in the space being vacated at either Field House Surgery or Wolds View?

PCNs form a key building block of the NHS Long Term Plan. Bringing general practices together in Bridlington to work at scale has been a policy priority for some years.  The aim is to improve the ability of practices to recruit and retain staff; to manage financial and estates pressures; to provide a wider range of services to patients and to more easily integrate with the wider health and care system. This will be possible by consolidating available resources on fewer sites.

16. Is the Branch Surgery at Flamborough affected by this announcement?

No.  The Flamborough Branch Surgery, which is part of Humber Primary Care, will continue to operate from its sites at Practice Two and Manor House in Bridlington as well as Chapel Street in Flamborough.

17. The Wolds View practice is co-located with the Urgent Treatment Centre, will this also be closing?

No.  The Urgent Treatment Centre is managed under a different contractual arrangement which is not affected by this announcement. 

18. The Urgent Treatment Centre accesses GP support from the Wolds View practice, will this continue?

Yes. Where clinically appropriate, the Urgent Treatment Centre will continue to receive support via GPs either working remotely or from the GP Out of Hours Service. 

19. This is yet another service leaving Bridlington Hospital, what are the longer term plans for this important and valued asset?

As a system, we remain fully committed to all our community assets, including Bridlington Hospital, and continue to work in partnership to make the best use of them, where clinically safe to do so.

20. What are the long term plans for the Field House Surgery site?

Field House Surgery currently occupies premises under a private landlord agreement which is also due to end on 31 March 2023.  Once the GP practice closes, it will be for the landlord, not the NHS, to determine the future use of the site.

Patient information including Frequently Asked Questions (hard copies are in practices)

Issue 2 (5/12/22): Improving primary care services in Bridlington — East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (eastridingofyorkshireccg.nhs.uk)