Our Primary Care Network

We were asked to take on Moredon Medical Centre, and Abbey Meads Medical Practice, which includes Crossroads and Penhill surgeries, in November 2019.

Our initial priority was to provide stability to the teams and secure the delivery of care to 30,000 local patients with a view to make significant improvements.

These practices were in a difficult place and we launched a long-term improvement journey to take them out of special measures and improve their Care Quality Commission rating from ‘inadequate’, achieving a ‘requires improvement’ rating.

Despite significant progress with improved access, safeguarding, and recruitment, there are still improvements needed.

We are therefore working with Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board to explore any opportunities to support the next phase of the practices’ improvement journey.

As part of this, the Integrated Care Board will be working with more established primary care networks to understand if there are opportunities to work together through this important next stage.

Primary care staff were briefed on this work yesterday, and we will keep them updated as the situation evolves.

Staff are protected under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) and their employment will be protected in a transfer to any new provider.

Patients should continue to access the practices in the same way. 

Kevin McNamara, Chief Executive, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are exploring opportunities to enhance the improvement journey of our two GP practices - Moredon Medical Centre, and Abbey Meads Medical Practice, which includes Crossroads and Penhill surgeries.

“The practices are now in a secure enough position to begin the next phase of their improvement journey outside of the Trust, where they can benefit from the experience, knowledge, and scale of another established primary care network.

“Significant progress has been made since we welcomed the practices to the Trust in 2019, providing stability to the teams and continuity of care to 30,000 local patients.

“We are incredibly proud of the improvements we have made, leading the practices to a ‘requires improvement’ rating by the Care Quality Commission, after joining the Trust as ‘inadequate’.

“In the last few years, we have focused on the things we know matter most to patients, with reduced call waiting times, increased appointment availability, and more GPs.

“The practices are now in a more positive place, and we are committed to building on this great progress, while we focus on a smooth transfer to a new provider, and as we work together in the future to provide integrated care to the people of Swindon.

“I’d like to thank practice staff who should feel incredibly proud of the progress we have made so far.

“Patients should continue to use the GP practices as they would normally.”

Sue Harriman, Chief Executive, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board said:

“The team at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stepped in at this difficult time and provided the practices with expert leadership and much needed stability.

“I would like to thank everybody involved for their work in helping to keep these vital services open, while continuing to provide patients with safe and high-quality care.

“The Trust’s vision to join primary and secondary care services together to create a truly integrated system in Swindon was reflective of the organisation’s forward-thinking nature, and the excellent progress made will act as a foundation to support further improvements.

“We are working with the Trust, as well as practice staff, to ensure that patients do not experience any disruption as work takes place behind the scenes, and the good work started by the Trust continues, both in the coming months and years.