08 June 2009
Patients in Litherland and Sefton, Merseyside are benefiting from improved access to GP services following the opening of a new GP practice and GP-led health centre at the award winning Southport Centre for Health and Wellbeing and Litherland Town Hall Health Centres.
Both buildings were provided by Liverpool and Sefton Health Partnerships Limited, a public private partnership between Liverpool and Sefton PCTs, Community Health Partnerships and gbconsortium, in which Assura LIFT Holdings Limited is a major shareholder.
Trinity Practice has opened its doors to patients at the Southport Centre for Health and Wellbeing in Hoghton Street, providing GP services to local people from 8am to 8pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 9am until noon on Saturdays.
It offers specialist services for the area’s vulnerable groups, including the high number of elderly people living in local care homes and for international workers, many of whom are not yet registered with a GP practice. The practice has three multilingual receptionists.
In Litherland, a new GP health centre has opened at Litherland Town Hall Health Centre, in Hatton Hill Road. It is expected the new service will complement and support the existing services provided in the same building.
Anyone can access treatment at Litherland’s existing nurse led walk-in service. The new GP health centre means that they can now see a doctor if they need to, and they can register there as a patient if they want to.
Both buildings recently won awards, with Litherland scooping the 'best design' award at the National LIFT Awards and Southport being 'highly commended’ at the Liverpool Daily Post Regional Property Awards.
David Acklam, head of LIFT at Assura said: "We are delighted that the two new GP services have been able to integrate themselves into our state-of-the-art health centres.
"We have worked closely with the GPs, PCTs and patient representatives to help them find a suitable solution and we are confident that patients will greatly benefit from these new services."
Leigh Griffin, chief executive of NHS Sefton, said: "It is a pleasure to see the opening of these new services in Southport and Litherland. It is great to be giving local people greater access to primary care services.
"Both practices will sit alongside and provide support for other local GP practices."
ENDS.
Press enquiries regarding Assura Group to:
Louise Bathersby, Assura Group.
Tel: 020 7107 3830
Russell Elliott, Assura Group.
Tel: 020 7107 3833
