Proposed merger

We are writing to seek your views on a proposal that we are in the early stages of exploring.

All of the above practices are Northumbria Primary Care (NPC) practices. They have a history of working together as NPC practices within the North Tyneside area and use the same clinical system. We are proposing to merge these practices. We believe that doing this will bring positive change and benefits for our patients. These include, but are not limited to:

• Improved access with the choice of appointments at any site.
• Economies of scale with shared resources.
• Centralisation of front and back-office functions. This will ensure we do things as efficiently as we can. It will also increase resilience.
• The chance to share best practice and build a stronger team.
• Reduced costs from improved efficiencies. This will allow for reinvestment to develop and expand the services we provide.
• Future sustainability to allow us to continue to deliver high-quality and safe primary healthcare.

What does this mean for patients?

We would like to assure you that as part of this proposal, we do not intend to close any of the current GP practice locations. Patients will continue to access care at their preferred site.

Patients do not need to do anything throughout this process. You will remain registered with your GP practice. You will also still be able to see your current GP and nursing staff.

Opening times and contact details for surgeries will remain the same apart from Nelson Medical Group which will open at 8.00am instead of 8.30am. The doctors, nurses and support staff that you see will all remain the same. However, you may notice some new faces working in the surgeries as some staff will work across sites. 

Providing feedback

To understand what patients think and give them the opportunity to ask any questions, we will be entering an eight-week engagement period with patients and local stakeholders to gather feedback. This process will start from Tuesday 16 January (16/01/24) and continue until Tuesday 12 March 2024 (12/03/24). We have created a list of frequently asked questions. We hope this might pre-empt some of your queries. This can be found here.

We would like your feedback on this proposed merger. You can do this in several ways:

• Complete our online survey.
• Complete a hard copy survey which can be found in each of our practices.
• Write to your practice. This can be sent through the post or delivered to our reception team. You can also call your practice to give feedback.
• If you would like to give feedback to someone independent, please contact Healthwatch North Tyneside.
  • Call: 0191 2635321. Healthwatch also offers a callback service. Send them a text and they will arrange to call you back at a time that suits you.
  • Email: info@hwnt.co.uk
  • Write to:
    • Healthwatch North Tyneside
      Spirit of North Tyneside Community Hub
      2nd Floor Wallsend Customer First Centre
      16 The Forum
      Wallsend, NE28 8JR
• You can also speak to PALS:
  • Call: 0800 032 0202
  • Email: pals@nhct.nhs.uk
  • Write to:
    • FREEPOST PALS

The deadline for providing feedback is Tuesday 12 March 2024.

Next steps and timeline

We’d like to reiterate that this is a proposed merger at this stage and any final decision to proceed will be made by NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). Once this engagement period has ended, we will compile all feedback and present it to the Integrated Care Board. We expect a decision to be made by Summer 2024. We will keep everyone updated.

Please contact the practice reception team for this letter in a different format. That could include braille, large print, easy read, and other languages.