Dear patients,
As many patients will be aware, for the last 6 years Heartwood Surgery has hosted the extended access service running in the evenings and weekends. This was done on behalf of the PCN (the group of 5 local Swadlincote area surgeries). In part this was because there were no other local options for providing this service at that time.
The PCN has in recent months secured the lease on Ragsdale House in Woodville in order to create increased capacity to extend services to the Swadlincote group of surgeries and their patients. The PCN has therefore decided to take back responsibility for running the extended access service which will now be provided from Ragsdale House. Heartwood surgery patients will still have the same access to these appointments as before and as many of you will know, several of the Heartwood clinical staff have been signing up to do extended access sessions over the last few years and many will continue to be involved.
In summary, the service moving to Ragsdale House does not affect the access Heartwood patients have to the evening and weekend appointments, they will just be in a different location. Please see formal announcement from the PCN below.
Kind regards,
The Partners, Heartwood Medical Practice
Important Location Changes to Swadlincote Primary Care services from 1st November 2024
As many of you are aware Swadlincote Primary Care Network (the collaboration of all 5 Swadlincote GP surgeries) have been working hard to provide opportunity for an increased capacity of services for our patients over the last year or so. Central to this has been the acquisition of a Ragsdale House in Woodville.
It has clinical rooms and facilities for various health care professionals to offer extra services and appointments. All of this has been done by the 5 GP surgeries working closely together for the benefit of everyone in our area. From the 1st of November, for certain services you may be offered an appointment at Ragsdale House rather than your own surgery.
The first service that will be commencing on 1st November are appointments catering for minor illnesses during normal surgery opening hours. These appointments will be offered by our team of experienced paramedics and advance nurse practitioners. Supported by supervising GPs. Some of you will be familiar with our team as they currently offer appointments based at individual surgeries. This is a service by appointment only (no walk-in services).
All patients must continue to contact their surgeries in the usual way. If your surgery’s reception or triage team feel that your problem is suitable to be seen by the clinicians at Ragsdale you may be offered an appointment here. Overall, this new service allows for an increased number of people to be seen on the same day for minor illnesses that at present surgeries are unable to accommodate.
The second service to begin operating out of Ragsdale House is the extended access service. This is the service that has been established for several years and provides bookable appointments at evenings and weekends currently at Swadlincote Health Centre. Again, these appointments are booked in the same way via your individual surgeries as they are at present.
As this is the starting point of these services operating from Ragsdale House there may be teething problems; please bear with us. Moving forward this facility will allow us to expand the services which all of the surgeries provide by working closely together.
We are easy to find, based on the A511 close to the Clock roundabout and opposite Woodville Surgery.
We are conveniently located near to bus stops for the 4,9 and 29 bus routes.
Ragsdale House.
138 Burton Road
Woodville DE11 7JG
What 3 Words – both.create.skill
Each surgery’s Patient Participation Group is aware of the service changes and we will continue to liaise with them for any future changes.
Kind regards,
Dr Mark Rooney
Senior Partner, Heartwood Medical Practice
Clinical Director, Swadlincote Primary Care Network.