As you may be aware, Health 1000 is a specialist GP practice, located at King George Hospital in Goodmayes, which was set up by BHR CCGs in July 2015 as a two year pilot. The aim of this pilot was to trial new ways of providing coordinated health and social care for patients who have five or more long-term conditions.
An interim independent evaluation of the pilot has highlighted particularly positive health outcomes for patients from care homes supported by the practice. We have taken this on board and decided to keep the practice open until 31 March 2018, during which time we will review the final findings from the full evaluation by the Nuffield Trust (due this summer). The findings will be used to make improvements to local primary care services across BHR to support more patients.
All patients currently registered with the practice do not need to do anything and they will continue to be registered at the practice until 31 March 2018. There will be some changes to arrangements from 1 August 2017, including different opening hours. The practice will be open between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and closed on weekends. We have written to all patients at the practice to inform them of all of this, and advise them of how they can receive speedy urgent medical advice or treatment when the practice is closed.
Following our review of the evaluation of the pilot we will be considering how to best provide continuity of care for Health 1000 patients after 31 March 2018.
We will keep patients updated and will inform them of the findings from the pilot, our proposals and their options for GP services early in the new year. We will also keep you informed of the evaluation’s findings and how we will be taking them forward.
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