Ian McCartney MP

Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust is today implementing plans to tackle long-standing differences in family doctor provision by announcing the first wave of new GP Practices that will be created across the Borough as part of the Labour Government's Fairness in Primary Care procurement.

As part of an open and fair tendering process, the PCT has selected IntraHealth Limited as preferred providers to proceed further in the procurement process with a view to providing new Community Health Care Services and additional GP Practices in Ince and Platt Bridge.

Subject to final contract discussions, IntraHealth Limited would be expected to:

• Open a new General Practice in Platt Bridge Health Centre (expected to open in April 2008)
• Open a new General Practice in Claire House, Lower Ince Health Centre (expected to open in April 2008)

Areas with the fewest GPs have poorer health outcomes and greater deprivation. The GP Practices announced today will increase capacity in places that need it most and offer a range of innovative services and extended opening hours that will increase patient choice. These benefits will include:

• Improved patient access to GPs by increasing the numbers of GPs, Nurses and other supporting clinical staff
• Extended opening hours to allow patients to choose from a wider range of appointment times, including weekends and evenings (8am – 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am – 12noon Saturday)
• A full range of enhanced services delivered from local practices and primary care centres including minor operations, mental health services, pathology tests and management of chronic (long term) conditions, such as diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Ian said, “Throughout my political life, I have campaigned tirelessly for better NHS services in the borough."

“It is simply not acceptable that in some areas of the country there are twice as many GP’s per head of the population as there are in Wigan. The new practices announced today will increase capacity in Wigan for those who need it most."

“They will fit the needs of patients with extended opening hours and practice boundaries so that people have more choice about where to go to see their GP as well as accessing a full range of health services."

“Where patients cannot rely on existing GP practices to provide them with a good standard of service, we need to ensure an alternative practice or GP led centre is available to them. The new GP practices in Ince and Platt Bridge will be the first of a new wave of family doctor provision across the borough.”