The Partners of BMC Paston group are in the process of submitting an application to the ICB to relocate their Practice based in Werrington Health Centre, Skaters Way to the newly expanded BMC @ Werrington Practice based in Werrington Pharmacy in Church Street Practice from early 2025.
Message for Patients
We would like to update you about Werrington Health Centre on Skaters Way and Werrington Surgery on Church Street, two practice sites which are operated by the partners of Boroughbury Medical Centre and Paston and Werrington Health Centre.
Since forming a new partnership in October 2023, the GP partners have considered how we can best provide you with the general practice services you need. As a result of this work, we have made the decision to seek to merge the Practice sites into a new purpose built facility based in Werrington Pharmacy in Church Street. There are several elements to this process. Firstly, we will apply to NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board to relocate from Werrington Health Centre, Skaters Way to the Practice based in Werrington Pharmacy on Church Street. We will also submit an application to operate via one contract going forwards. This will allow us to merge our patient list and enable patients currently seen at Werrington Health Centre, Skaters Way, to be seen at BMC @ Werrington in Werrington Pharmacy, Church Street.
Why is the Practice relocating?
The relocation is being considered, following the Partnership of BMC Paston Group’s decision to move to a full merger of Boroughbury Medical Centre and Paston and Werrington Health Centre. We believe that the time it right to review our operating model and the services we can offer. As explained above, we currently have two premises in Werrington located less than a mile from each other at Skaters Way and Church Street.
Werrington Health Centre is operated by NHS Property Services and has no room for expansion, and we are not aware of any planned development or investment by the Landlord to update the premises. Unfortunately we are unable to influence this decision. The Partners currently occupy six consultation rooms here. Our Church Street Practice is a new, purpose-built facility with six empty consulting rooms waiting to be used. This will allow us to offer a wider number of services and improve access to appointments.
In total the Practice site in Church Street has ten purpose built modern consultation rooms. The site was opened in March 2020 and is in line with new NHS guidelines for modern general practices with potential for expansion and development.
Our Practice at Church Street in Werrington also has excellent parking and disabled access. Patients may remember the Practice as this was our Covid vaccination site.
When is it relocating?
We will move to formally to submit our application in by the end of November 2024. As part of our application, we will invite you to share your views and would ask that you visit the ‘Have your say’ page on our Website or follow the link that has been sent on SMS messages to read about a proposal to relocate our Werrington sites.
Once our application has been submitted, the Integrated Care Board will follow a robust process to review it before making a recommendation to the relevant committee. We will keep you updated about this process as it progresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
September 2024
Where will services be going?
All services will be relocated to our expanded Werrington Church Street practice
What will happen if the ICB agree to the proposal?
The practice Partners will work with our staff, patients and Commissioners to put together a thorough plan which transitions services to the Werrington Church Street site by the end date of the current contract in early March 2025. It is our plan to communicate all important dates and changes to patients at every step of the way. We will also continue to report our appointment achievements via our Patient Participation Group (PPG) and update all patients via the web page at least monthly. We will continue to listen to patient feedback throughout this process so that we try to meet your expectations. Some of the key considerations from patients are highlighted in this document and we encourage patients to continue to feed back their views using our web page. We would stress that your care as a patient of the BMC Paston group will continue to be our priority throughout this process.
Will this reduce clinical capacity and will you have less GP’s working for the Practice?
BMC Paston group can confirm that this will not have a detrimental effect on clinical capacity. It is our expectation, as detailed in the FAQs below that it may increase capacity. It will also simplify many internal structures which will offer some benefits to patients with respect to improved response to clinical administration and digital requests. An immediate benefit of this process is that we have recruited an additional GP following an advert on NHS Jobs. It is our expectation that we can attract good quality staff following this agreement and that in doing so we will improve continuity of care for patients.
Will it be harder to get through on the telephone to book an appointment?
No. We have now upgraded our telephone system to a cloud-based telephone system, this means we have unlimited telephone lines in and out and we also have a call-back service with in the phone system. If you choose to use the call-back service you will receive a text showing your position in the queue and you can monitor this, with this service you are also able to re-join at any time.
Staff will also be able to answer calls from all locations. Therefore, we will have a greater number of staff answering the phones for all sites. Over the last 30 days we have answered over 12,585 calls with an average call waiting time of just over 8 minutes to be answered.
With the consolidation of sites we will be able to ensure more staff are available to take calls at our peak times. We are continuously working to improve our patients’ experience, whilst accessing the practice and bookings appointments. We have several ways of booking appointments for instance, by telephone, through our automated answering service Patient Partner, AccuRx online triage via our online system/NHS app or in person at our reception desks. We still maintain a Care Navigation team who are available to answer a large volume of telephone calls in a timely manner.
Can I get a bus to the Church Street Practice?
Yes you can.
Stagecoach bus number one leaves from Werrington centre every ten minutes and the journey takes 8 minutes.
The nearest stop is Werrington village hall, a two minute walk from the new Practice.
Are there enough car parking spaces at the Werrington Church Street site?
Werrington Church Street Practice was purpose-built to support a population of c10,000 patients. Whilst we are some way short of this number of patients currently and with more modern approaches such as telephone-based GP appointments and digital access we do not envisage car parking to be an issue for patients. There are also 4 disabled bays allocated.
If car parking becomes an issue we can encourage staff to use alternative methods of transport where possible or park elsewhere nearby.
Additional off site car parking is along Hall Lane or Ainsdale Drive
Can I still collect my medications from the Mi Pharmacy in Werrington?
All patients can choose where they receive their medications.
What does the relocation of the branch site mean for me and my family?
All patients will remain registered with BMC Paston group and you will still be able to access healthcare from the Werrington Church Street branch, the City Centre practice on Craig St and the Paston practice on Chadburn. The Practice remains committed to delivering health care services to all of our registered patients via telephone, face to face, video or online consultations.
Will the Paston Health branch also be relocating?
No. We are closing the Werrington Skaters Way branch and relocating these services to our newly expanded Werrington Church Street branch. There are no plans to close the Paston branch, in fact, we have recently successfully applied for and acquired two more rooms for clinicians at our Paston branch which helps to increase capacity.
Will I still see my usual GP, Nurse or Health Care Professional at the Werrington site?
All staff will be available in their usual working days within the Werrington Church Street site. There are enough clinical rooms for the consolidation and the move will allow us to progress our digital plans to improve access for patients and support flexibility for our workforce. The change to the single site is already showing benefits for recruitment which will support continuity of care in our patients.
I usually drop my prescription request to the Skaters Way, how can I request my usual medications?
Most patients find the online prescription request service saves them time and allows them to manage medications more efficiently. Arrangements are already in place with local pharmacies for patients to order repeat medications and if you are unsure please ask a member of the reception team and they will support you to organise this process. Alternatively you can use our online digital process to order your repeats medications.
Will I still be able to get a face to face appointment?
The BMC Paston Group are committed to offering the easiest and most appropriate access to appointments for all registered patients. This includes all appointment types for all clinical teams. Through consolidating from 4 sites to 3, it is our expectation that all patients will be able to access the type of appointment they wish when making their booking, whether at the reception desk, by telephone or digitally. When speaking to a GP on the telephone the GP will always ask a patient to attend the practice should they feel that the clinical need requires a face to face appointment and in almost every case that appointment is made for that same day or at the convenience of the patient.
Can I register with another provider if I choose to?
Yes, you can contact the provider of choice directly should you wish to register with them. You can find providers by using the NHS App or the NHS find a GP service
How can I have my say as a patient?
We have created a dedicated webpage with all information which is available. All patients over the age of 16 years can update their view by using the survey link that will be sent to all registered mobile telephone numbers. For those patients without a telephone number we will be writing to you to give notification of this change. We will also have forms available on site at both centres through the engagement timelines for patients to have their say. Alternatively you can attend one of our engagement events (please visit our website for the dates of these events or follow us on Facebook) and be an active, considered, voice on our PPG so that we can work together to improve the services we offer.
Alternatively, if you wish to speak to an independent organisation you can contact your local Healthwatch Team on 0330 355 1285 between the hours of 09:00 – 16:00 Monday to Thursday and 09:00 – 15:30 on Friday.
Healthwatch is an independent organisation that supports people to have a say when decisions are made about their healthcare services. You can find more information on their website: healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk