Plans for four GP surgeries to be relocated into new health hubs in a Yorkshire city to ‘support the transformation and modernisation of primary care’ have been criticised by local GP leaders.
South Yorkshire ICB is consulting GPs and patients on fresh plans for Doncaster, which would see local services joining up in facilities that are ‘fit for purpose.’
But the local LMC has expressed doubts on the proposal, saying it could cause ‘financial hardship’ for the practices.
It comes after ‘controversial’ plans to relocated seven GP practices into three new health centres in Sheffield were approved by the same ICB, as part of a £37m project.
The new proposals for Doncaster include the move of patients and staff from the Don Valley Healthcare Centre and the Ransome Practice to new premises on the site of a former community library on Chapel Street, in Bentley.
The Rossington Practice and West End Clinic would also be relocated to a proposed new building on the site of a former colliery.
The investment required for the Bentley hub is £5.62m and the Rossington hub is estimated at £7m, with Doncaster securing part of £57.5m capital funding given to South Yorkshire to support the transformation and modernisation of the primary care estate.
The ICB said that the aim of the new facilities, due for completion by June next year, is to:
- Provide ‘fit for purpose’ facilities for the future delivery of primary care services
- Provide ‘improved integration and co-location’ of NHS and local authority services
- ‘Maximise value for money’ through shared estate and facilities
- Provide improved access and choice of services
- Support the recruitment and retention of the workforce
Debbie Forbes Hughes and Jane John, practice managers for Don Valley Healthcare and Ransome Practice, said: ‘This new and improved building will provide better facilities which will directly benefit you, our patients and our practice staff.
‘We will still be two separate practices and you will still see the same familiar faces as you do now.
‘You will be able to contact us in the usual way. This is your new GP surgery building and it is important to us that you are involved and have your opinion heard.’
However, Dr Dean Eggitt, Doncaster LMC’s chief executive officer, said: ‘It seems absurd to have these kind of plans and we have said this for many years.
‘It’s not a local problem to Doncaster, it’s the national strategy which is the problem. It’s not good for the patients and boosts costs for GPs.
‘While GPs in our area have poor premises, the design of these plans is absurd. Some may argue that this will bring integration of care, but integrated and localised care are not the same.’
He said that taking the services out of the community and into hubs would affect access too, with patients potentially having to travel further to the new hubs.
He added: ‘The new premises are very well known for causing financial difficulties and hardship for GPs, who will have additional costs related to soft furnishing for example – it’s wonderful to have a new building but at what cost for GPs and ultimately patients.
‘By moving the practices somewhere else, you add time and financial costs for the patients too and you are more likely to worsen patient outcomes.’
Dr Vijay Kumar, a former clinical director of North Doncaster PCN, said that maintenance costs as well as rising electricity bills for the new buildings were a cause of concern.
He said: ‘These buildings are built with the right intentions, and I agree that they would help with the problem of poor accommodation for some of the practices, but there’s a huge price to pay.
‘There is a lack of transparency in the costs that come through from moving practices there – yes, there are some positives too but there are so many other areas the ICB needs to look at before going ahead.
‘It’s always nice to have a new building, but retention of staff is not about the building, it’s about the current pressures of the job.
‘There are a lot of issues around these hubs that the ICB needs to be transparent and open about.’
A spokesperson for the ICB said: ‘It’s important that we start by saying that no firm decisions have been made and any changes wouldn’t mean the merging of GP practices.
‘But our NHS needs to change to help improve people’s health. We need more clinical staff, more accessible services, more modern, spacious premises and better technology.
‘The plans take into consideration the increasing demand for primary care services with the risk of having to close lists to new patient registrations, and the poor condition of some buildings with no room for expansion and beyond economic repair.
‘With a shortage of GPs in the UK and a growing population in Doncaster, we believe the best way to support people and improve their health is to bring services together and wrap them around patients, helping to keep them well, independent and out of hospital.’
