Bridlington GP's Say Patient Transfers are Complete

A total of 16,000 patients have now safely been transferred across to Drs Reddy & Nunn GP practice in Bridlington as part of major changes to primary care in the town.

In a move that the NHS says will see future improvements being made to GP services, a total of 16,000 patients have now safely been transferred across to Drs Reddy & Nunn GP practice in Bridlington.  This means that the town now has two larger GP practices providing care for local residents:

• Humber Primary Care – operating from Station Avenue Medical Centre, Manor Road and Flamborough
• Drs Reddy & Nunn – operating from the Station Avenue Medical Centre and temporarily from Bridlington and District Hospital

In Bridlington, there were five GP practices caring for around 42,000 registered patients who live in and around the local area, but contracts with three of those practices expire this month and are not being renewed.

That has led to a major revamp oft eh GP service in the town with the remaining practices taking on the displaced patients and introducing a new model of working.

Dr Nicole Nunn, GP at Drs Reddy & Nunn, said:

“We are delighted to have received patients and staff from Field House Surgery this week and want to thank everyone for their ongoing support and patience with us as everyone settles in to the new ways of working at our practice.”

Dr Priya Reddy, Bridlington Primary Care Network Clinical Director, has been the clinical lead for this programme of work and said:

“Now that these transfers are complete, we are confident that having two larger practices in Bridlington will make it easier for us to share learning, clinical leadership and mentorship and provide opportunities to bring in more new, additional, clinical roles including Physicians Assistants, Pharmacists, Paramedics, Nurse Practitioners, Musculo-Skeletal Practitioners (MSK). 

"As a PCN, we have already successfully appointed 25 additional staff through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) and we are looking to expand the team further in 2023/24 when our ARRS budget increases."

“These additional staff, as well as GPs, mean people should see a clinician quicker and we are encouraging patients to give a little bit of information to the practice receptionist / care navigators who will help direct patients to the right clinician, first time.”   

Claire Jenkinson, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We recognise the concerns local people are raising about access to GP services and would like to reassure that we are doing everything we can to make improvements.  We have already successfully appointed 5 new administrative staff, are looking at improved telephone processes and working very closely with Drs Reddy & Nunn to learn and share good practice.  We thank all our staff for continuing to work hard at a time when services are under immense pressure and a special thanks to our patients for your ongoing patience and understanding.”

Dr Nicole Nunn added:

“As a larger practice, we have also successfully recruited two new GPs into Drs Reddy & Nunn who will join us in the coming months and this is really positive news for Primary Care in Bridlington.”  

Dr Simon Cox, NHS Place Director – East Riding of Yorkshire, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff who have worked so hard to make this change happen so smoothly in such a short timescale.  A key focus now is to support the practices with patient access to appointments which we recognise is a concern and one we are all committed to improving.  

“Over the next year, we will also continue to support both practices in building up a strong workforce and to improving the primary care estate so that patients and clinicians have the best environment to visit and work.”  

The GP practices in Bridlington have issued some tips to help patients at Drs Reddy & Nunn in the coming days:

• For general enquiries, please use the Accurx link on our website to contact us or call after 10am when the surgery is less busy. Visit our online services page at: www.drsreddyandnunn.nhs.uk
• If you are waiting for hospital appointments, test results or a referral to a specialist service, please ring the hospital direct.  
• To make repeat prescription ordering easier, if you have not already done so, please sign up to the NHS App via the App Store or Play Store. Please try to register using photo ID such as your passport or driving licence or pop into the surgery at any time throughout the day, avoiding early mornings when we are at our busiest.
• If you become unable to access GP services via the NHS App once your transfer has completed, please try to log in again. You might be prompted to re-register using the same registration method you used initially. Patients who have provided their mobile or email details will receive a message with an Accurx link so you can securely get the log in details you need to re-register.
• NHS England has recently informed us that Boots has served notice to close their Victoria Road pharmacy in June 2023. This was not part of our plans for Primary Care in Bridlington but we have been assured that pharmacy provision in Bridlington will be able to meet patient need.  Boots pharmacy will be talking to patients over the next couple of months about your options, including how to change your nominated pharmacy for management of repeat prescriptions.  
• Please bear with us and don’t seek to change between practices until the new arrangements are well established and embedded.

All published information about the changes, can be found at: https://www.eastridingofyorkshireccg.nhs.uk/our-plans/improving-primary-care-services-in-bridlington/