BrisDoc Ltd has taken over the management of another practice for two years, after all GP partners handed back their contracts back in December 2017.
It comes after GP partners at Bishopston Medical Practice sent a letter to patients last year in which they said that financial constraints were forcing them to hand back their contract to NHS England.
BrisDoc has taken over the provision of care for more than 10,000 patients at the practice since 10 February.
The limited company is responsible for a series of services on behalf of Bristol Community Health in the Bristol area. These include another GP surgery, GP out-of-hours services for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, the homeless healthcare service and a walk-in centre.
Staff at Bishopston Medical Practice will remain the same, and former GP partners agreed to take on posts within the practice.
NHS England South West Director of Commissioning Debra Elliott said: ‘We are pleased to have an organisation with such a strong track record taking over the management and provision of primary care services at Bishopston Medical Practice and we are confident that patients will continue to get the same high quality services.’
NHS Bristol CCG said that now that BrisDoc has been secured as the new provider of the service, they will listen to patients’ views to ensure they meet their expectations for the practice in the long term.
Chair of NHS Bristol CCG Dr Martin Jones said: ‘We are committed to working across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to ensure the long-term future of primary care best meets the needs of patients.’
BrisDoc was born over 10 years ago by the union of a group of practices.
It has also been indicated as the ‘preferred bidder’ for another GP surgery in Bristol, Charlotte Keel Medical Practice, which handed back its PMS contract last December 2017.
Talking about the management of Bishopston Medical Practice, BrisDoc deputy medical director Dr Rebecca Hennessy said: ‘We look forward to working closely with the patient group, the existing team and other stakeholders to continue to deliver high quality local patient care, and to further develop the practice.’
