January 2016
Dear Patients,
Merger with Heene Road Surgery
My name is Sue Parton and I am managing partner at Worthing Medical Group (WMG). First of all may I
apologise for not having written to you earlier, to explain about the changes taking place at our surgery.
This has been because it has taken us several months to work out what to do for the best and we wanted
to wait until we could provide you with an accurate explanation of what is happening.
In April of this year our neighbouring practice, Heene Road Surgery started to experience significant
recruitment problems. They looked after 6,000 patients and by August only one doctor was left to provide
GP services for all of these patients on his own with only a small nursing team to help. There is a national
GP recruitment crisis and Worthing alone had 11 GP vacancies last year. This has made it very difficult for
both Heene Road and ourselves to recruit new GPs.
As a result of this intense pressure, Heene Road Surgery had to close the practice to new patients and in
order to keep the practice open and continue providing a safe, high quality service, they asked us to help.
Myself and several of the other doctors and managers at WMG have been helping since September and as
a result we are happy to confirm that the practice is now secure and will be able to remain open to both
existing and new patients.
However, it is very difficult to run two practices completely separately in times of reducing NHS budgets
and such difficulty in recruiting new clinical staff. We therefore decided, having consulted with our Patient
Groups, to merge our two practices and this happened on 31st December 2015.
You may ask why we took this step, when our own practice has been struggling with appointment waiting
times and recruitment? If we had not helped, the practice at Heene Road would have closed and the 6,000
patients would have been left to register at other practices. We would have expected at least 2,000-3,000
new patients within a very short timeframe. It would have been absolutely impossible to cope with this
number in our already restricted premises and with our existing staff. The future of our practice, and the
other local practices, would have been at significant risk. We therefore took this decision in order to
protect the services provided to our patients.
Dr Hamid from Heene Road, and all his staff have joined the WMG team. We will keep both surgeries open
– therefore increasing our floor space and staffing and will be able to offer a more comprehensive and
greater range of services by the additional resources created by economies of scale achieved by a merged
practice covering 20,000 patients.
However in order to keep both practices secure we do need to change the way we work. From about
February we will be running all urgent services from Worthing Medical Group and most non-urgent
services from Heene Road Surgery – 145 Heene Road, Worthing. There is a map at the bottom of this
letter showing the surgeries’ locations. This means that if you need urgent care you will continue to be
either seen or be spoken to, by clinicians at WMG. We will continue to often offer initial telephone advice.
Our long experience at WMG has shown that almost half of all appointments can be better dealt with on
the ‘phone such as discussions about test results, discussing the need for a referral, arranging a treatment
plan, etc. This then leaves more time for patients who do need face to face appointments. Both Heene
Road and WMG patients will therefore access urgent care at the Shelley Surgery site.
If you need a non-urgent appointment such as asthma or diabetes appointment, a minor surgery
appointment, family planning, a dressing or injection, etc. this will often, but not always, be at Heene Road
Surgery. We have an extensive team of specialist nurses and all the equipment needed to provide you
with safe, effective care.
All the doctors will be working at both sites – so although if your problem is urgent you may not always be
able to see your preferred doctor, it will be possible to see or speak to them for routine and complex
problems. However you will continue to be able to see anyone you wish and who you see may of course
depend on your problem and who is best placed to provide you with the care you need.
You will be able to use the same telephone number to access our patient services team, manned by an
increased team of up to 9 receptionists, so that you do not have to worry about which surgery to ring and
with the larger reception team that will result from the merger, we are confident your call will be
answered promptly. If you have a mobile telephone we will continue to send you text reminders of your
appointments.
We realise that some patients will find this change difficult and we are happy to answer any queries you
may have. We know that there might be teething problems and we ask for your patience while we sort
these out. If you have constructive comments or suggestions we would very much like to hear them. You
are welcome to write in, email us via our website (www.worthingmedicalgroup.com) or speak to one of
our duty managers. We attach a Frequently Asked Questions sheet which answers some questions about
the changes due to take place in February.
We are confident that our two practices together, will be able to provide a responsive and efficient service,
and we look forward to providing you with safe and patient-focused care should you need it for many
years to come.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Sue Parton
On behalf of Worthing Medical Group
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Questions Answered For the Changes happening In January 2016
Will I need to re-register now the surgeries have merged?
No, you will continue to be a registered patient of Worthing Medical Group and do not need to do
anything.
How will merging Heene Road Surgery and Shelley Road Surgery affect me?
During January you will see little difference. You will continue to access services and receive all
care from Shelley Surgery.
How Will This Merger Benefit Me?
It will ensure that the future of Worthing Medical Group is secure. As a large practice covering
20,000 patients we will be able to innovate and expand our services, possibly even integrating with
the district nursing service and having additional professionals working with us such as mental
health nurses, counsellors, etc.
Will I have to go to Heene Road Surgery for appointments?
Until the full merger in February 2016 you will continue to be seen at Shelley Surgery.
Where will I get my Prescription from?
This service will remain unchanged, after February please order in your usual way and collect from
the Pharmacy you currently use.
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Your questions answered for the changes happening in February/March 2016
At the beginning of February the merger will be complete and we will start to transform
our services.
What telephone number do I call to book an appointment?
Although we will be working across two sites, we will base the majority of our Patient Services
Team at Shelley Road Surgery who will answer all calls. You will therefore continue to ring Shelley
Road Surgery on 01903 234844.
What if I have an urgent medical problem?
If you feel you need to be seen on the day, the patient services team will organise for you to speak
or see a member of our urgent care team as appropriate. Sometimes this will be a face to face
appointment with an Advanced Nurse Practitioner or a telephone call initially from one of the
GP’s. In order to make sure we book appointments appropriately our patient services team will
usually ask you for a brief explanation of the nature of your problem – this is not meant to be
intrusive but allows our staff to ensure you are given the most appropriate appointment. If you are
booked an urgent appointment this will continue to be at Shelley Road Surgery
What if I want to see my Doctor for my ongoing care?
We want to make it easier for patients to speak to their regular doctor and to achieve this doctors
will be managing their own appointment booking. Therefore if you have a routine problem that is
best dealt with by a specific doctor you will initially be given a booked telephone appointment.
During this appointment you and your doctor will discuss the best way of managing your condition
and agree a plan. This system will enable the doctor to arrange any required tests before seeing
you, and quite possibly they may be able to deal with your problem over the ‘phone, thus saving
you a trip to the surgery. It will also ensure you are treated within the appropriate time frame for
your needs rather than waiting a longer time for a traditional face to face appointment.
If you do need to see a clinician routinely, it is possible that your appointment will be at Heene
Road Surgery but we will make this clear to you when arranging the appointment.
What Can An Advanced Nurse Practitioner Do?
At Worthing Medical Group we have five Advanced Nurse Practitioners who work closely with our
doctors. Advanced Nurse Practitioners are qualified Nurses who have gone on to further study and
are therefore able to diagnose, prescribe and refer where appropriate.
What are the parking facilities at Heene Road Surgery?
Heene Road Surgery does not have a dedicated car park but there is free off road parking all
around the surgery, nearby and in surrounding roads.
Where will I get my Prescription from?
This service will remain unchanged after February, please order in your usual way and collect from
the Pharmacy you currently use.