Issue - meetings

The Board received a report from the Strategic Director, People and Economy, which set out the background and options for commissioning a General Practice Service at Windmill Hill from April 2017.

Officers reported that Windmill Hill Medical Centre was located within the Ward of Windmill Hill and it had a branch surgery located in Widnes.  Originally it was two separate practices, both developed as part of the Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care (EAPMC) Programme.  In 2011-12 it was agreed to reorganise the Widnes service as a branch of the Windmill Hill site.  The current contract was held with Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust (LCH) which ends on 31 March 2017. It was noted that due to the organisational restructure that was currently being undertaken at LCH there was no opportunity to extend the contract beyond 2017.

The report provided information on the numbers of patients registered and the complement of staffing for the practice.  It further presented details of the health and wellbeing of residents of Windmill Hill and the health concerns within the Ward such as long term sickness and disability. 

Two options were presented to Members for comment and were discussed in the report:

·       Option One: Commission as a Branch Surgery; and

·       Option Two: List Dispersal of Widnes Patients (which could sit alongside Option One).

Members agreed that Windmill Hill needed its own surgery and discussed the Windmill Hill Big Local joining Halton CCG as part of the Big Local Partnership to deliver health services.   It was noted that negotiations were continuing with the School regarding the land and the Board would be kept updated with any progress on this.

RESOLVED: That the Board notes the update on the contracting of General Medical Services at Windmill Hill.