Nearly 3,000 patients to be dispersed as North East practice closes

A GP practice in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear has decided to hand back its APMS contract earlier than planned, leaving almost 3,000 patients having to register elsewhere.
 
The Park Surgery – whose closure will not affect The Glen Medical Group, operating from the same building – will continue to see patients until 31 March 2019.
 
NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is now contacting patients to encourage them to register with another practice as soon as possible.
 
In a letter to patients, the CCG wrote: ‘The provider of the service at The Park Surgery has taken the difficult decision to request an early exit from their contract and no longer provide GP services for that practice.’
 
According to a CQC report, The Park Surgery and The Glen Medical Group – which operate from the same site – share the same provider.
 
The provider does, however, have different contracts with NHS England: a PMS contract for The Glen Medical Group and an APMS contract for The Park Surgery, which the practices are not permitted by law to merge. 
 
Following clinical administration and IT issues arising from operating the two practices from the same site, the provider made the CCG aware that they were no longer able to provide services under The Park Surgery contract.
 
NHS South Tyneside CCG director of operations Matt Brown told Management in Practice: ‘As a CCG, we understand the clinical administration and IT issues resulting from operating two practice contracts and systems on a single site, and have supported the practice in finding a solution to these issues.’
 
NHS South Tyneside CCG considered other options but decided the best solution is for patients to register at other practices, the letter said.
 
Brown said the CCG had ‘reluctantly agreed to accept the request to mutually terminate the contract’, knowing that there are other practices in the local area.
 
Brown wrote: ‘There are seven practices within three miles of The Park Practice that are currently accepting new patient registrations.’
 
Management in Practice has contacted The Park Surgery for comments.