The future of Southside GP Surgery has been secured after a move to the Conan Doyle Medical Centre was agreed through the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).
The Southside Surgery team came under direct NHS management in January, through the HSCP. The practice had been facing a number of challenges regarding recruitment and retention, similar to the pressures being faced by general practice across the country. The GP partners took the difficult decision to withdraw from their contract and this resulted in the need for the current premises to be sold and to look at alternatives for the future.
NHS Lothian and the HSCP have been working closely with the team at the Surgery to ensure patients continue to receive safe, effective and timely care. The GPs and staff have transferred to NHS Lothian providing job security and opportunities to explore new service delivery approaches.
At the same time, a great deal of work has been undertaken to identify options for new premises for the Surgery. A number of options have been explored and agreement has been reached with the GP team at Conan Doyle Medical Centre at Cameron Toll and the Southside Surgery will move to its new home in May or June.
The purpose built Conan Doyle Medical Centre was opened in 2007 and will provide suitable consulting and waiting space for Southside Surgery staff and patients as well as improved car parking and better disabled access. The Medical Centre is around one and a half miles from the Southside Surgery’s current location on Bernard Terrace and there are excellent bus links.
Rob McCulloch Graham, Chief Officer, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said: “A lot of hard work has gone into finding a solution that will secure the future of this important Edinburgh practice. I would like to thank patients and staff for their patience during this period and to reassure them that the facilities being provided within the Conan Doyle Medical Centre will be a significant improvement on the current premises.”
Commenting on the news that the closure-threatened Southside Surgery is set move to a new premises at the Conan Doyle Medical Centre, Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, who raised the concerns of Southside patients with NHS Lothian said:
“ People across the Southside of Edinburgh have rightly been concerned about the future of their local GP surgery.
“ I am pleased alternative premises have been found and hope all current patients at Southside will have their places assured at the new practice.”
Miles Briggs MSP for Lothian, who has also repeatedly raised the subject with the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian on behalf of concerned constituents, said:
“ This is good news for Southside residents who will be pleased and relieved that a new premises has been secured to house their much-valued GP practice.
“ I pay tribute to my constituent Denise Palmer who gathered a petition on the subject with more than 1200 signatures and all the other constituents who have been keeping up the pressure on NHS Lothian.
“ I will be meeting with NHS Lothian officials in the next few weeks to get more details about the proposal for the Southside Surgery and to discuss a range of related points.
“ More generally I am aware that GP services across Edinburgh and Lothian continue to face very real capacity issues and I will continue to press the Scottish Government to do more to boost GP recruitment and support NHS Lothian deal with the challenges of meeting demand for primary care services.”
There are currently around 5000 patients registered with the Southside Surgery. Information on the new arrangements will be sent to all patients directly once all the details have been finalised.
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