Last Thursday, 12th March, Dr Dan Poulter MP the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, visited Wyre Forest.
He met with Mark Garnier MP, Dr. Simon Gates, the Chair of the newly formed Wyre Forest Health Partnership and Claire Gould, the Strategic Manager. The Minister was impressed by the initiative taken by the doctors, nurses and GP staff to create the partnership. He felt that this was something that could serve as a model for other practises across the country.
The partnership is a pioneering new venture made possible by the push for localism, flexibility and integrated services. On the December 1st 2014 five Wyre Forest GP's surgeries merged into one new super surgery. This has allowed them to plan for better care for patients. The 28 doctors were already working together and saw this as a natural evolution, made possible by the Department of Health. The Partnership is coming to the end of a four month transition period for the managers and staff, with many people taking on new roles. Dr. Poulter MP was pleased by the smoothness of transition and the ease with which patients and staff had fitted into it.
Mark Garnier MP said: "I was very pleased to take the Minister to see the super-merger Partnership. This is something we can really be proud of locally as we hold our health services in high esteem locally here in Wyre Forest. This merger has come about as a result of local GP partnerships working together and seeing a synergy and saving of overheads that can be delivered through a formal merger and a sharing of back office functions. For the surgeries in the Wyre Forest CCG who have opted to stay independent, they will continue to be able to benefit as part of the new clinical commissioning groups, delivering first class service across the district. This is a good move for Wyre Forest and one that I welcome and will follow with interest."
The surgeries who are part of the merger are: Bewdley, Church Street, Stourport Medical Centre and Stourport York Street, and Hagley.