Update 2: As at 5 December 2022
Please click here for Update 1 and Answers to Questions 1 to 20
Please click here for the Feedback Report from the public drop-in event held on 16 November 2022
Please click here for the Feedback Report from the public drop-in event held on 19 January 2023
Following the announcement that the contractual arrangements the NHS has with three GP practices in Bridlington are ending on 31 March 2023, we are now in a position to confirm the future arrangements for patients.
All patients who are registered with Field House Surgery, Practice One and Wolds View will be transferred across to Practice Three which is run by Drs Reddy & Nunn.
Patients do not need to do anything now. We would like to reassure you that work is progressing well to ensure that everyone is safely and securely transferred over to Practice Three: Drs Reddy & Nunn with minimal disruption to the care and treatment they are currently receiving. We would like to thank all the practices, staff and wider stakeholders for continuing to work collaboratively and supporting patients during this period of change. The transfers will be managed in a phased way over the coming weeks and patients directly affected by the change of GP practice will be advised in good time.
Further information, including the transfer dates, will follow as soon as this is agreed. In the meantime, we have produced some new Frequently Asked Questions which are below.
Frequently Asked Questions – NEW (questions 1-20 are available in hard copy at the GP practices or through the above link).
- As a patient, is there anything I need to do?
No. Patients need take no action at all right now. Patients directly affected by a change of GP practice will be advised in good time.
How you can help:
Please DON’T: Ask to change your GP at the moment (unless you are moving out of the area).
Please DO: Try to be kind and respectful to all practice staff who are trying to help you in person, by phone and on social media. They are doing a fantastic job in difficult circumstances and working hard to ensure a smooth changeover.
- What if I don’t want to be transferred to the practice you have allocated me to?
To ensure a smooth changeover and continuity of care we would ask that you bear with us and not seek to change practice until the new arrangements are well established and embedded. Any requests to change to another practice in Bridlington will be considered after a smooth and safe changeover.
- How will the new practice know about my medical history?
All your current medical information will be securely transferred across to the new practice to ensure continuity of care. It’s just like when you see a different doctor at your current practice, they have access to your notes and history.
- How will patients benefit from these changes?
Sustainability: This approach will help secure the future sustainability of primary care in Bridlington for many reasons. We know from experiences elsewhere that larger practices are better able to recruit and retain staff because they can offer career progression and opportunities to specialise.
Resilience and Flexibility: There will be larger, more resilient, and flexible teams. They can also offer improved training facilities for newly qualified doctors, which is something that modern doctors and nurses aspire towards and this also encourages staff to stay working in the local area.
Shared Learning: Having two larger practices in Bridlington will make it easier to share learning, clinical leadership and mentorship and provide opportunities to bring in more new, additional, clinical roles including Physicians Assistants, Pharmacists, Paramedics, Nurse Practitioners, Musculo-Skeletal Practitioners (MSK), etc. See also Q30.
Wrap-around Care: On a practical level, larger practices are able to ensure that, through improved records and summarising of patient notes, they make every contact count. For example, improved linkages between those patients with multiple long term conditions (ie diabetes, CVD, respiratory) will help people who need to be seen, come in for one holistic appointment rather than three. This more efficient way of working will provide a better experience for those patients and result in freeing up more appointments for others.
Future-Proofing: All of this also provides a great opportunity to grow primary care services to help meet the needs of the local population now and as the population of Bridlington grows in the future.
- How many GP’s will there be and how many hours at work (GP/Patient Ratio)?
Initially there will still be the same number of GP’s/patient ratio but we hope to increase this as evidence elsewhere has shown that working in larger practices offers career progression and opportunities to specialise.
GP Training: Practice Three is a training practice and is already helping to train new GP’s. This also encourages staff to stay working in the local area.
Wider Clinical Skills and Additional Staffing: Not all GP’s will be full-time and not all patients need to see a GP. There will be additional support from the expanded range of trained clinicians. As at September 2022, Bridlington PCN is already successfully maximising its use of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) budget and has 22 additional roles supporting general practice.
Please visit www.gethelpsooner.co.uk for more information including alternative roles.
- Why are you closing the three practices?
The change is happening because the contractual arrangements for three out of the five practices in Bridlington are ending on 31 March 2023. Based on the feedback from the current providers, experience from previous market engagement and an options appraisal, the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board took the decision to support the Bridlington Primary Care Network in transferring patients across to the remaining practices which will be larger and more resilient with flexible teams, improved career progression all helping to secure the future sustainability of primary care in Bridlington.
- What about the staff?
Workforce is our greatest asset and we are doing everything we can to support them through this period of organisational change. Please can we remind everyone to be respectful and kind to all the staff in person, phone and on social media as they are doing a fantastic job in difficult circumstances.
- What is currently happening about new patient registrations for everyone in Bridlington?
In the best interests of all patients in Bridlington, we are registering everyone who is new to the area with either Humber Primary Care or Practice Three.
We are also continuing to ask current patients to bear with the practice staff and not seek to move between practices during this period of managed change until the new arrangements are well established.
- We have problems getting through to our practice on the telephone now, how will this work when there will likely be more people trying to get through?
We have heard and understand patient feedback regarding difficulty with telephone access. We are looking at a range of options to improve this as part of the change.
Unless its urgent, people are asked to call at quieter times, not at 8 o’clock, or use online services. More Care Navigators will be made available to answer calls at the busiest times (08:00 to 09:30).
Please visit www.helpyourdoctor.co.uk for tips on how to help your doctor including downloading the NHS App.
- Will we be able to get a face-to-face appointment with a GP?
If people need to see a GP, they will always be able to. Not all patients need to see a GP. There will be additional support from the expanded range of trained clinicians.
Care Navigators: Care Navigators are specially trained to get you the best, fastest care we can offer. When you contact your GP practice to book an appointment our Care Navigators will ask you some basic questions about your condition. Using their skills and knowledge of practice healthcare services, they will provide you with the very best option for seeing a healthcare professional or service which is most appropriate to help you with your condition. This doesn’t mean that you will be unable to see a doctor if you still need to, but does mean that you don’t have to wait to see your doctor first.
Please visit www.gethelpsooner.co.uk for more information.
- How will practices let us know about the changes?
We will continue to share general progress updates through practice websites, social media, Patient Participation Group members, the local media, etc.
We will also be directly in touch with patients or households affected with details on what they need to do as we progress these plans. Where possible, we can send updates through SMS text messages or letters.
- What about transport and car parking?
Due consideration is being given to car parking for staff and patients during this process and we are in dialogue with the local authority regarding options.
- How can you be sure that new ways of working will work and really help?
We can be confident because this approach is already working well elsewhere. At Bridlington’s Practice Three we aim to - and do - provide same-day appointments including for GP’s, where clinically appropriate. In Holderness, three practices joined and offer an improved and better co-ordinated level of services for their patients. Elsewhere in the East Riding GP Practices already offer more security for staff and career progression which, in turn, encourages recruitment.
These changes cannot all be immediate, some will take time to bed-in and mature, but we are confident that Bridlington’s patients will begin to see and feel the benefits of an improved service in the future.
- Is the Boots pharmacy, which is located on the same premises as Field House Surgery, affected by this announcement?
No. We have received confirmation from the Boots pharmacy that they will continue to operate from their current location at 18 Victoria Road, Bridlington, YO15 2AT.
- Where can I find the feedback from the public event which took place on 16 November 2022?
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to drop in to the public event on 16 November 2022. The feedback report can be found through the link at the top of this webpage.