Securing future for Circuit Lane Surgery

The issue:

In September 2014, five GPs running Circuit Lane Surgery in Southcote tendered their resignation and gave notice that they would end their contract for providing services in January 2015. Circuit Lane Surgery is now run by healthcare provider OneMedicalGroup.

Achievements to date:

  • Alok organised a public meeting in September 2014 with NHS England to answer questions from concerned patients about the future of the surgery and the commissioning process to find a new provider.
  • Alok formed a Working Group to provide regular feedback to NHS England on local patients’ views and priorities throughout the commissioning process. The Working Group included representatives from NHS England, the local Clinical Commissioning Group, the Circuit Lane Patient Participation Group, the local Health and Well Being Board, Healthwatch Reading and Alok.
  • Alok welcomed the news that local health provider, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, have been selected as an interim provider of services and will keep the surgery open on Circuit Lane.
  • Alok chaired a further update meeting in December 2014 for patients to hear about the new provider’s plans for the surgery. During the meeting it was announced that four of the existing five GPs would continue working at the surgery.
  • A further public meeting was arranged to take place in January 2016 to provide patients with an opportunity to learn more about developments at the surgery over the past months and about the process of appointing a permanent provider at the surgery.
  • September 2016 – OneMedicalGroup announced as new healthcare provider at Circuit Lane Surgery on a ten-year contract
  • June 2017 – public meeting held with OneMedicalGroup and a panel of senior decision makers within the local NHS to discuss key patient issues.

Next steps:

 Alok will monitor the situation at Circuit Lane Surgery to ensure patients continue to receive excellent treatment and continuity of care. Alok will also be arranging a public meeting in autumn, when OneMedicalGroup will have been the healthcare provider at the surgery for a full year.

Alok says:

 “I know from speaking to patients at Circuit Lane Surgery that the most pressing issue is that they continue to receive an excellent service and that the care that they receive is not disrupted in any way. If you continue to have concerns about any aspect of the surgery, please do not hesitate to contact me, as I am of course happy to raise individual cases with the surgery, OneMedical Group and the CCG. You can contact me via alok.sharma.mp@parliament.uk.”

In the Press