Health: GP surgeries merge to form ‘super-practice’

GP surgeries across Clevedon and Portishead have formed a ‘super practice’ – following the success of the covid vaccination rollout.

Clevedon Medical Centre, Portishead Medical Group, Harbourside Family Practice and Heywood Family Practice in Pill, which care for tens of thousands of patients between them, have formed the new Gordano Valley Primary Care Network (PCN).

The practices were previously part of the Gordano PCN and Mendip

PCN. The new Gordano Valley PCN will care for 51,700 patients across the four practices while the Mendip PCN will serve a population of 44,500.

A Primary Care Network (PCN) consists of groups of general practices working together with a range of local providers, including across primary care, community services, social care and the voluntary sector, to offer more personalised, coordinated health and social care to their local populations.

The changes will allow the four practices to work more collaboratively. The practices were previously part of Gordano and Mendip PCN but made the decision to become two PCNs to better serve the needs of theirx populations.

The move followed the success of the practices working on the Covid19 vaccination programme.

Dr Karen Hathway, GP and clinical director for Gordano Valley PCN, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity. During the last six months, we have been working really closely together to deliver the successful local Covid-19 vaccination programme and this move will help strengthen this collaboration and enable us to better meet the needs of our local population.

“This new PCN will help us build on existing primary care services, working closely with community services, social care and the voluntary sector to provide more proactive, personalised and joined up services for our patients.”