Polyclinic to open in Kingswood

A seven-day a week GP clinic – where patients will not have to make an appointment – is to open in Kingswood.

The new service, which will be available from April 1, will provide patients with a "drop-in service" from 8am to 8pm every day, including bank holidays.

Patients will not need to be registered at the centre to walk in and see a doctor or nurse and they can attend the centre while still registered at their usual GP practice.

The idea of "GP-led polyclinics" came out of Lord Darzi's review of the NHS as part of its 60th anniversary last year.

They sparked controversy, particularly among doctors who were concerned that the clinics could signal the death of traditional practices.

NHS Bristol is also expected to announce the locations and details of its polyclinics within the next few weeks.

It has asked for tenders to run a GP-led health centre at the South Bristol Community Hospital and the planned Eastville health centre.

NHS South Gloucestershire has announced that the new-style clinic will be run by The Orchard Medical Centre from its Kingswood premises.

Senior partner at The Orchard Medical Centre, Dr Phil Yates, said: "We believe our community deserves a medical service that is responsive, accessible and of high quality.

"Working together with NHS South Gloucestershire and other local practices, we want any residents, whether registered or not, to use the centre for their convenience and support."

Chairman of NHS South Gloucestershire's professional executive committee, Dr Andrew Havers, said: "Patients tell us that they want access to GP care at a time that suits them. This new health centre will provide access to care 12 hours a day, 365 days a year."

He said that the current team of doctors and nurses will be strengthened to provide improved support throughout the week and weekends, whether patients require access to contraceptive care or support at weekends for long-term conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.

As part of the Our NHS Our Future review, Lord Darzi intended to set up 150 health centres in easily accessible locations, which would open longer hours than traditional practices and offer a range of services, including physiotherapy and diagnostic tests.

However GP Dominique Thompson, a member of the Avon Local Medical Committee, is concerned that the needs of vulnerable patients may not be properly addressed by these polyclinics.

She said: "I think this is a very poor way of looking after people in the community, who are often the most vulnerable because they have no registered GP. Questions have not been answered completely."

Dr Thompson said she would have preferred the NHS to invest in existing GP surgeries to open longer.

"GPs are opening on Saturday mornings and on evenings but are doing it under duress from the Government without the funding to provide a full service," she said

In North Somerset a GP-led health centre has been proposed at Weston General.

The centre at Weston General, which is due to open by April, will be run by a consortium made up of local GPs and the North Somerset out-of-hours service.

In Bath & North East Somerset a GP-led health centre is due to open at the Riverside Health Centre in James Street West, Bath, in the spring.

It will be operated by Assura Minerva in partnership with GPs in all 27 practices in the B&NES area.