DMC Healthcare holds a contract to provide GP services at Iwade Health Centre. This ends on 31 March 2022.
We are now considering how GP services will be delivered in the future for patients registered with the practice after this date.
The contract, held by DMC Healthcare, has been extended a number of times in the past few years. With the contract due to expire at the end of March 2022, we now need to make a longer-term commissioning decision.
We recognise how important it is to have a local GP practice in Iwade. We are committed to the future of this practice. All options we consider as part of this work will include a long-term replacement with like-for-like services at the health centre.
Engaging with patients and stakeholders
There are 5,916 patients registered at the practice. We wrote to all patients on Monday, 8 November 2021 to ask them to take part in an engagement process.
We collected feedback from patients through an online and paper survey. In total, there were 204 responses to the survey and another 56 people who partially completed the survey and did not submit their responses.
We offered an online meeting, however due to low uptake we cancelled the meeting and contacted the patients individually and offered a focus group session.
The report on the survey has been considered as well as all the feedback received via email, mail and social media have contributed to the proposal for the future provision of GP services at this location.
We considered this feedback alongside other influencing factors, such as GP practice engagement. This was considered by the CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee (PCCC) at its meeting on Thursday, 16 December 2021 alongside feedback from other stakeholders.
The committee approved the decision to carry out an assurance process for the GP practice. This process is still ongoing and patients will be sent a letter with a full update, guidance and next steps.