Patients of Rothbury GP practice asked for views on mobile healthcare unit proposal

Currently, a GP or nurse from The Rothbury Practice, which is part of Northumbria Primary Care, provides a clinic, once a week on a Thursday, in the village hall in Harbottle.

This clinic has been in place since 2009. In 2015 the previous provider decided to end their GP contract and the GP service in Harbottle faced closure.

Following the community response, clinicians from The Rothbury Practice have provided GP patient care in the village.

Northumbria Primary Care is working with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board to consider how it can potentially enhance healthcare services.

David Pierce, senior group manager, Northumbria Primary Care, said: “The proposal being considered is moving the GP/nurse clinic, that is currently provided from the Harbottle Village Hall, into a mobile healthcare unit. The mobile healthcare unit would be the permanent location from which the Harbottle weekly GP/nurse clinic would be delivered.

“We would like to assure people that this proposal would not result in a reduction to current primary care services provided in Harbottle. The additional benefit of services being delivered from a mobile unit is that it would be able to travel and deliver GP, public health and community/voluntary sector services in this rural area of Northumberland on the days that it is not in Harbottle.

“Examples of the services that could be delivered in local communities include vaccination clinics, annual health checks, blood pressure checks, public health services (like stop smoking clinics) and voluntary and community sector engagement and services. With the unit being mobile, where possible, it could be responsive to the healthcare needs of local communities, as long as the workforce is available to support this.

“We acknowledge that the winter weather in Northumberland is also an important consideration. Planning and regular maintenance would help ensure, as much as possible, that the vehicle would be where it needs to be.”

The cost of operating a mobile healthcare unit would be similar to providing GP services from the village hall. As a result, this option would be financially sustainable with the potential to offer additional services to local communities.

Jamie Mitchell, deputy director of estates and premises for the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “The ICB recognise the challenges of providing healthcare in the harder to reach areas of Northumberland. The mobile health unit proposal presents a very versatile and responsive option that could potentially support a wide variety of health and other community/voluntary services.

“The ICB urges the people and stakeholders share their views on this proposal and how it they think it could be used deliver local health services.”

The mobile healthcare unit would be a clinical environment, comfortable, heated and wheelchair accessible. It would also have separate waiting and consulting rooms to enable patient privacy.

Where the mobile healthcare unit would park in Harbottle and where people would access a toilet are things that are currently under discussion. It would be driven by staff who have a valid UK driving licence and training.

Patients and others interested in giving their views on this proposal can do so in a number of ways:

Online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GW3HHGK or via a hard copy surve y. These will be available from and will need to be dropped off at the weekly Harbottle clinic on a Thursday morning or The Rothbury Practice and Longframlington surgery receptions.

Patients that have a planned appointment at the clinic in Harbottle on Thursday 14 December or Thursday 1 February 2024, will be able to speak to someone if they would like to give feedback.

Patients that have a planned appointment at The Rothbury Practice on Tuesday 19 December or Thursday 18 January 2024 between 10am and 2pm will be able to speak to someone if they would like to give feedback.

Drop-in engagement session for patients and stakeholders - they will be held on Tuesday 9 January 2024 between 10am and 2pm and Tuesday 13 February between 3pm and 7pm at Harbottle Village Hall, Harbottle, NE65 7DG. You do not need to register to attend. All are welcome to attend.

People can also write to or email the practice management team – The Rothbury Practice, Whitton Bank Road, Rothbury, Northumberland, NE65 7RW or [email protected].

If anyone would like to give feedback to someone independent, please contact Healthwatch Northumberland. Healthwatch Northumberland will be analysing all feedback and will produce a report.

o Text: 07413 385275. Healthwatch also offers a callback service. Send them a text and they will arrange to call you back at a time that suits you.

o Email: [email protected]

o Write to:

o FREEPOST

o Healthwatch NorthumberlandAdapt (NE)Burn LaneHexhamNorthumberland NE46 3HN

The engagement will run for 11 weeks and then Healthwatch Northumberland will analyse the feedback received and produce an independent report. This report will be shared with patients and stakeholders then used to inform a final decision, planned to be made in March 2024.

The earliest a mobile healthcare unit could be put in place is May 2024. Further detailed information, including frequently asked questions, is available at www.therothburypractice.nhs.uk/harbottle-clinic.