GP prACtiCEs CoulD mErgE

New plan released to shape Peterborough healthcare

GP practices could merge under new proposals which will shape future healthcare in Peterborough. Healthchiefswanttoseepractices turned into ‘federations’ with GPs working across city surgeries and even at weekends.

The lead practitioner behind the proposals, Dr Alex Gimson, said all practices should remain open after merging, but he admitted the final decision will be for the GPs who run the practices.

The proposals, which will be discussed with GPs before being implemented at a later date, were revealed in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) which aims to tackle an expected £500 million deficit over the next four years.

Other proposals include more staff at Peterborough City Hospital to tackle cardiovascular disease after Dr Gimson admitted that Peterborough needed more resources.

He said: There is a very significant burden of cardiovascular disease in the Peterborough area. To meet that need we think we need to improve the delivery of cardiology heart care to people in Peterborough.

“The service is not as good [as elsewhere] considering the very significant burden of heart disease in the locality which is rising at a rate greater than the rest of the United Kingdom. We think there will be better and quicker access to anopiniontoyourproblem. There will be more staff.”

Dr Gimson said no servic- es will be moving out of Peterborough. Healsosaidpatients withconditionssuchasdiabetesandchronicbronchitiswill be helped to self-care, which could see them take medication without going to see a GP.

The STP also calls for the expansion of Joint Emergency Teams which Dr Gimson described as a “mobile team who can see people in their own home.”

Asked about recruitment to the teams, Dr Gimson said: “We will be trying to make sure these community workforce nurses jobs are more attractive by giving them good conditions to work with and bettercareerprogression. But if it does not work we have to rethink. Youhaveto go to Plan B and Plan C and start again.

“It’s quite possible that might happen.”

The proposals will now be developed over the next few months.