More than 40,000 Medway patients learn future as new operators take over DMC Healthcare services
16:29, 07 September 2020
updated: 16:29, 07 September 2020
Healthcare services previously stripped from a private medical company have new operators.
The news was revealed by the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) this afternoon.
An agreement has been reached between DMC Healthcare and three GPs to take over two contracts covering St Werbugh Medical Practice, Hoo , including its two branch surgeries in Lower Stoke and Yellow Suite at Balmoral Gardens in Gillingham , as well as Kings Family Practice in Magpie Hall Road, Chatham .
DMC will handover these practices to new partners Dr Subhro Ranjan Mukherjee, Dr Anouska Hari and Dr Vinay Uppal.
It comes after the healthcare provider was stripped of running five of its GP surgeries in July , while three were suspended after inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found serious flaws.
The St Mary's Island Practice in Chatham – along with its four branch surgeries in Twydall, the Pentagon Centre, the Sunlight Centre Surgery and the Green Suite at Balmoral Gardens – were subject to CQC action.
The new partnership of GPs will take over the Kings Family Practice, which has 5,715 patients, from today, before taking over the St Werburgh Medical Practice, which looks after 11,125 patients, from Monday, October 5.
Until that time, services at the Hoo site will continue to be provided by Medway Practices Alliance (MPA) and by DMC at Kings Family Practice.
The CCG awarded a 12-month contract to MPA to provide services at St Mary's Island, where they had temporarily been doing so for 27,477 patients, including its branch surgeries in Balmoral Gardens, Twydall, the Pentagon Centre and the Sunlight Centre Surgery.
It said awarding the temporary contract will allow them to "plan and engage with local people" on the long-term care at the surgeries.
CCG accountable officer, Wilf Williams, said: “This has been a complicated process and we would like to apologise to patients for any anxiety caused during this period of uncertainty. However, I am very grateful to both CCG staff, MPA and other local GPs who have done everything possible to minimise disruption to patient care.
“I would like to reassure patients that they can still call their usual surgery to access appointments and prescriptions. They do not need to find a new GP or take any other action. We will be writing to every patient affected within the next week to confirm the new arrangements.
"We will now begin to engage with local people to help us plan the long-term future of the practice..."
“The handing over of a GMS contract by adding new partners and removing the existing partners is a longstanding and well recognised method of maintaining continuity of contracts and of services to patients.
"As the contract does not change, this is not a commissioning decision by the CCG, and provided there are no significant concerns regarding the new partners, it would not be opposed. This allows a seamless transition for the patients at St Werburgh and Kings Family Practice as only the partners at the practices will change.
“We also have a good outcome for patients at St Mary’s Island Surgery which operates under an Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract.
"MPA has been looking after patients there since mid-July so awarding a short-term contract to them means continuity for patient care.
"We will now begin to engage with local people to help us plan the long-term future of the practice that ensures patients receive the best possible level of healthcare provision.”
It was revealed last month London-based DMC will not receive any compensation for their Medway services following the termination of contracts.
The CCG committed to carrying out a full inquiry into what went wrong.
