New Radcliffe LIFT Centre

In 2008 Acton Shapiro was appointed by the Redbank Group Practice to provide general consultancy support in the preparation of a bid for a new GP practice to be commissioned by Bury PCT under the Equitable Access Programme. The bid was successful and the Group then asked us to continue to work with them on:

• Contract negotiations with the PCT
• Recruitment and selection of staff
• Consultation and patient involvement
• Marketing
• Development of protocols and procedures
• Governance arrangements.

The Radcliffe LIFT Centre (RLC) will be a brand new practice to be run by the Redbank Medical Group, which includes Redbank Group Practice and Mile Lane Surgery. It will be located along with the Redbank Group Practice and two other GP practices within the purpose-built Radcliffe primary care centre (RLC), which will open in April 2009.

This facility will offer a wide range of high-quality health and well-being services to the population of Bury, including GP services, diagnostic tests, urgent treatment, minor surgery, community dentistry and a pharmacy. The new LIFT premises are purpose-built and provide a huge amount of space and opportunity. When the RLC opens it will have a zero list and opportunity to grow to 1,000 patients in the first year.

For the longer term it is hoped that the new practice will act as a catalyst to enable Radcliffe GP practices to become an Integrated Care Organisation and form a social enterprise. A social enterprise is a not-for-profit organisation and it is hoped that it will be possible to bring together the traditional GP services to be established in the new Radcliffe Primary Care Centre), together with community services, such as health visiting, district nursing and the mental health services, and the voluntary sector. It is also hoped that the relationship with local authority adult and children services will be strengthened.

 

Working with Rotherham PCT: Service Planning, Access Analysis and Public Consultation in Rawmarsh and Wath

Initially health planning input was required with respect to the potential re-configuration of the primary care estate in Rawmarsh and Wath. In 2007-08 we reviewed the development options in these localities and helped to ensure that the investment being proposed by the PCT and its key stakeholders was fully supported by the local communities concerned.

Key tasks included:

• Agreeing a “Wath and Rawmarsh Vision” for services in these localities.
• Assisting with the establishment of a new APMS Practice under the “Primary Care Access in the UK” (Darzi) initiative.
• Recommending a solution to the problem of inadequate GP Practice premises.
• Assisting with the development of an agreed consensus on the medium/long term configuration of local health services.
• Helping to ensure that decisions on future service changes were agreed with neighbouring PCTs
• Preparation of business cases for the schemes concerned for future capital investments resulting from the agreed vision and configuration options.

The consultancy support was required to complement and underpin the ongoing Darzi procurement process and also to ensure that any investment by the PCT was fully supported by both clinicians and the local community to be served. The work has determined the future configuration of local health services in Wath and Rawmarsh and provided premises solutions which will meet the long-term policy objectives of the PCT.