Proposed Merger of Prince of Wales Surgery in Dorchester and Portesham Surgery The GP partners of Portesham Surgery and Prince of Wales Surgery in Dorchester are pleased to announce plans to merge the practices under one contract. Joining forces offers many benefits to patients and practices alike. As a bigger organisation we will be able to offer the combined skills within our GP and nursing teams to the patients of both practices, and will be more attractive to recruiting new clinicians, making us more sustainable. We anticipate the merger taking place in early to mid-2023. Once the application has been approved by NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, there will be a process to follow to bring our individual practices together contractually and systematically. We will engage with you over the coming months to ensure you are fully informed and have an opportunity to ask further questions or share your views with us. You will undoubtedly have questions about what this means for you, so we have prepared some initial Questions and Answers below. These are also available on leaflets in the surgery. We have already talked to our Patient Group representatives and they are happy to talk to you and help answer your questions – you can contact them through contact@porteshampatients.co.uk or look on our website www.porteshamsurgery.co.uk for details of your village representative (the Patient Group link is at the bottom of the home page). We look forward to working on your behalf to maintain and improve primary care services. Yours, Dr Louise Beale Dr Stephen Scott Portesham Surgery Prince of Wales Surgery Questions and Answers about our Merger Q1 When will the merge to the new Practice take place? It is anticipated that the merger will take place within the next 12-15 months. Q2 Will I still be able to make an appointment to see my usual doctor or nurse? The merger won't change your ability to see your usual doctor or nurse. Q3 Will I still be able to make appointments at my usual doctor's surgery? You will continue to make appointments at your usual surgery as you do now. Q4 Will my usual surgery opening times stay the same? The merger will not change the opening hours of either surgery. Q5 Will there be changes made to the way I book appointments? The merger process will bring together the individual practice systems into a single system. If there are any changes you will be notified. Q6 Will I have to go to another GP Practice site for consultations and/or treatments? No. However you may be offered an appointment at either practice if one practice is short of appointments or it's more convenient for you. Q7 Will any service that is currently offered by my usual surgery be removed or stopped? No. We do not anticipate services being removed or stopped. If anything, we anticipate that this merger will bring about a greater choice of services. Q8 Will there be any changes to how I access the GP out of hours service? No. In order to access a GP when the practice is closed, you will continue to telephone the NHS 111 service as you do now. Q9 Will the current arrangements that I have in place for getting my medicines stay the same? Yes. Q10 Will the intended merge affect any treatment or medication I am currently receiving either at my usual surgery or any hospital? No. Any current treatments, medications or investigations will not be affected by the merger. Q11 Will I need to re-register to become a patient of the newly merged GP Practice? What will happen to my health records? No. All patients will automatically be transferred into the new single GP Practice system, along with their health records.