West Lindsey District Council is urging anyone struggling to fill forms to register with a new GP in Gainsborough, or the wider district, to contact them for any support they need, whether to obtain a form or help in completing it.
The call follows the announcement that four Lincolnshire GP surgeries will close in the New Year. Gainsborough’s Pottergate Surgery has been named as one of those to close in January 2017. New providers were not found in time to take over the management of the practices after Universal Health Ltd. asked the NHS to end its contract on August 1 due to financial difficulties.
The Conservative-led Council is working in partnership with the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Group. Lincolnshire West Clinical Commissioning Group has said that patients who need to move will all have an alternative option within a fifth of a mile of their current surgery.
The Clinical Commissioning Group is offering support to patients to choose and register with an alternative GP Practice by Saturday, 7th January 2017. If patients do not do so by the deadline they will allocate a surgery to patients, based on where they live and the practice boundaries. Any allocation can be changed in future and must not be perceived as permanent.
Cllr. Mrs. Sheila Bibb, Conservative Chairman of Prosperous Communities Committee at the Council said she had been contacted by concerned residents.
“People have been contacting myself and other council representatives, concerned about the closure of the surgery in particular re-registering to a new GP Practice. They are also worried about the extra pressure this will have on the remaining GP surgeries and delays on getting appointments.
“Following discussions with the CCG both parties are committed to working in partnership to facilitate this transition. The council would like to offer its support to those patients affected by the news. If you, or your friends and family, need help to choose a new surgery and register appropriately, our customer services staff and health coordinator are available to help you explore the options available to you as well as help you complete forms to make it easier for you to find a suitable alternative practice.”
Cllr. Mrs. Bibb explained the council is keen to work closely with the health professionals who serve the people of West Lindsey. She added:
“Whilst as a council we are limited in what we can do, we are looking at how the council can work closely with our health partners to find solutions and offer support where possible.”
Dr. Sunil Hindocha, chief clinical officer at NHS Lincolnshire West, said:
“We are working with our partners to help and assist in every way we can in making sure Pottergate patients are re-registering as smoothly as possible.
“Patients must absolutely be assured they have the full support of the CCG to help them choose an alternative practice to register with. Ultimately, it is the patients’ choice.
“Around one third of patients at Pottergate have kindly re-registered elsewhere and I would like to thank them for their prompt response. We understand these are regrettable circumstances and that some patients will feel concerned about change but we are committed to ensuring patients continue to access good quality, local, GP-led health services”.
“If patients come across any problems in re-registering can contact the CGC hotline on 01522 515380 and we will be more than happy to help.”
Any members of the public who have queries regarding their registration can contact the Council’s customer service desk along with the relevant NHS contact points, details of which are below:
- For more information on GP Practices visit www.lincolnshirewestccg.nhs.uk
- Clinical Commissioning Group hotline on 01522 515380
Forms to re-register will be available from West Lindsey District Council, Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough. For advice you can call the council’s customer services team on 01427 676676.