As part of plans to enhance primary care services in Walsall, several GP practices will be merging from September.

Following a public consultation in August 2017 a decision was made by NHS Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to change the contracts of nine GP practices.
 
New provider Modality Partnership will now run these GP practices and GP practice staff at these sites will become employed by the new provider. Modality Partnership is a GP super partnership who are a single organisation led by GPs with GP practices in Walsall, Birmingham, Yorkshire, Hull and the South East of England.
 
This means that from 01 September, 2018 Wharf Family Practice, Sai Medical Practice and Manor Medical Centre will become one practice based at Forester Street. Patients who are currently registered at Wharf Family Practice will automatically be transferred to the new surgery 0.5 miles from their current GP practice.
 
Harden Family Practice, Coalpool Family Practice and Blakenall Family Practice will also merge and become one GP surgery from 01 September 2018. However, the new surgery will be based across two sites at Harden Health Centre and Blakenall. This will allow registered patients the ability to see a GP at both sites, offering more flexibility to see a GP.
 
Two other practices affected by the contract changes in September 2018 are Keys Family Practice and Collingwood Family Practice. Both these practices will remain open, and they will also be operated by Modality Partnership.
 
A series of patient engagement events are taking place over the summer to allow any patients to come along and find out more about these changes. These events will take place on:

• Monday, August 6 2018, 1pm – 3pm at Coalpool Surgery, Harden Road, Walsall, WS3 1ET (concerning Harden Family Practice, Coalpool Family Practice and Blakenall Family Practice)
• Wednesday, August 8 2018, 1pm – 3pm at Keys Family Practice, Field Street, Willenhall, WV13 2NY
• Monday, August 13 2018, 1pm – 3pm at Forrester Street, Walsall, WS2 9PL (concerning Wharf Family Practice, Sai Medical Practice and Manor Medical Centre)
• Tuesday, August 12 2018, 1pm – 2pm at Collingwood Family Practice, Collingwood Drive, Birmingham, B43 7NF

The new contracts will mean all four practices will be open from 8am – 6.30pm every weekday, with no half-day closing and all four practices will provide some evening and weekend appointments through the National Directed Enhanced Service for Extended Access. During the course of these changes GP practices may have to close for short periods to allow for essential work to take place. During such times the Extended GP Access service at three hubs across Walsall will be available to patients that need a GP appointment – to book an appointment call 01922 501999. Prof. Simon Brake, Chief Officer of NHS Walsall CCG said:

 “We are committed to enhancing our primary care services here in Walsall and believe these changes are helping us achieve our vision for improving GP services. By merging several GP surgeries we are creating more appointments and therefore, offering patients more opportunities get see a GP.

The changes will also mean that under the new provider half day closures will be removed from the new contracts, enhancing our primary care services and creating even more appointments.
 
“As well as these changes the CCG also introduced its Extended GP Access service in December 2017, which allows patients to see a GP outside of their surgeries normal opening hours. Since the launch more than 12,000 people have used the service so far.”
 
Dr Narinder Sahota GP and Executive Partner at Modality Walsall added: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contracts to provide more primary care services for patients in Walsall.
 
“We have been providing care here in Walsall for a number of years to many patients and we are proud to be working with the CCG to extend the care we provide to the wider community of Walsall.
 
“We look forward to welcoming the staff and patients to our Modality family.”