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ANNOUNCEMENT
BROADWAY MEDICAL CENTRE BRANCH CLOSURE
PLANNED FOR FRIDAY 12TH APRIL 2024.
Further to the proposal that was sent out to patients and stakeholders in December 2023 and the subsequent consultation period for stakeholder/patient feedback, the practice submitted an application for a branch closure. The closure of the Broadway Medical Centre branch site was approved by the Local ICB Newcastle Leadership Team on 29th February 2024. In terms of our plan the last operational day at Broadway Medical Centre branch site will be Friday 12th April 2024.
With regards to patient services, the key change is that all face to face consultations will now be held at Regent Medical Centre. There will be no reduction in the number of appointments that the surgery offers. The telephone lines and administrative services are already hosted by the main site at Regent Medical Centre so this will continue to operate as usual.
There are staff still several staff working for Regent Medical Centre who have fond memories of working at the Broadway site and we also appreciate that we have patients that were historically seen at the site that may be sad that the doors will close for a final time.
We do hope the new arrangements will provide improved resilience and a more efficient service for our registered patients. However, if there are any patients that would like to look at alternative GP Practices because of the impact branch site closure, patients do have a right choose a GP Practice https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp.
Sincerely,
Lorraine Walsh
Practice Manager
BROADWAY MEDICAL CENTRE BRANCH CLOSURE – PROPOSAL SENT IN DECEMBER 23
Regent Medical Centre and Broadway Medical Centre merged in April 2022 with the ambition to utilise both buildings with shared resources.
Since the merger it has become apparent that whilst there is a greater number of resources available, the running of two separate sites so close together has resulted in vulnerabilities in services delivery.
- peak demand times and staff absence has at times resulted in a lack of resilience and it has been a challenge to run two sites.
- GP’s that have worked at Broadway have stated that they feel isolated from the larger clinical team at the Regent site.
- the increased costs in running two buildings, in particular for energy, is proving financially challenging.
In Summary
We aim to provide a more resilient and efficient service; and we propose the closure of the Broadway site to deliver all services from Regent Medical Centre.
A site closure at Broadway would bring the clinical and admin team together in one building all of the time, meaning better resilience and services that will be easier to plan for patients. It will also bring benefit to staff with better ability to meet, learn, train and share knowledge & good practice. It will address the isolation and reduce the risks that are current present in running two sites.
The two sites are only just over “1/2 a mile apart” and patients are already travelling to both sites for appointments. We also use digital services (e-consult, text messaging, telephone) and manage a number of problems remotely. We have now for years been prescribing electronically to preferred pharmacies which are likely to be close to home which has saved patients on the journey to a surgery to collect prescriptions.
We hope that patients will understand this decision and support us.
We are gathering feedback on the proposal between 13th December 2023 and the 10th January 2024. If you do have any feedback or concerns, you can: –
- email [email protected]
- write to Lori Walsh, Practice Manager, Regent Medical Centre, Ridley House, Henry Street, Gosforth, NE3 1DQ.
- provide feedback at the practice by picking up a feedback form from reception.
Yours sincerely
Lori Walsh
Practice Manager
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