Two Horsham GP surgeries to '˜work in partnership'

Courtyard Surgery, based in London Road, has served the town since 1928 and serves nearly 10,000 patients, while Riverside Surgery, in Worthing Road, looks after just under 8,000 patients.

However small surgeries such as the two have come under increasing pressure and are finding it more difficult to provide the range of modern health services and care that patients need, according to a joint statement posted on both their websites.

A Q&A on what the proposals mean is available.

Although patients will continue to use their existing surgery, their care will be managed by the practice teams from both surgeries, under changes due to come in from Saturday October 1.

The surgeries will be able to offer an enhanced range of new services such as hearing assessments, wider access to midwife appointments, travel clinics, Phlebotomy, specialist clinics for diabetes and asthma, and common infection alerts and management advice.

In a joint statement Mark Chopin, Courtyard’s senior partner, and Matthew Davies, partner at the Riverside Surgery, said: “What initially became apparent was how closely aligned our two practices are, sharing a common philosophy of wanting to do more for our patients, but being constrained by our relatively small sizes.

“We are both passionate about the traditional model of general practice: being able to see your own doctor and having continuity of care.

“By joining forces now we will be able to start offering more services for our patients whilst retaining our core values.”

The statement on their website said: “We are therefore excited about the possibilities offered by the new partnership which will underpin the sustainability of the two practices and ensure that in future years you receive the personalised, high quality care you deserve.

“The proposals have been discussed with NHS England and the Patient Participation Group who help the practice make decisions in the best interest of our patients.”

The statement added: “At both practices we strongly believe in providing a personalised service for you and your family, not least by collaborating in a joined-up way with other local healthcare providers to ensure you receive the best possible care.

“We also want to preserve the traditional model of general practice, where you know your doctor and nursing team.

“However, small surgeries such as Courtyard and Riverside have come under increasing pressure in recent years and are finding it more difficult to provide the range of modern health services and care that patients need.

“In addition, owing to our size, we find it increasingly difficult to provide the extra services to our patients that we know are often needed, as it is not possible for us to provide such services operating on a small scale. However, by working in partnership and combining our passion and drive for better healthcare in Horsham.”

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