I have been in my role as IW Council Chair of Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care liaising and working with Darren Cattell of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, Joanna Smith of IW HealthWatch, and Ryde Town Council to find a solution to the threatened closure of Argyll House Surgery. Currently a meeting for patients is being planned and I will keep you posted but in meantime see the letter that has been sent to all patients.
A letter to the households of all patients registered with the practice from Hampshire ICB
Dated 2nd August 2023
Dear patient,
We are writing to inform you that the GP partners of Argyll House Surgery have given notice to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) to hand back their General Medical Services contract.
Our local team here at the ICB is working closely with the Argyll House practice and all our partners on the next steps.
At the moment:
· You do not need to do anything. Argyll House remains open and continues to offer all services as before. We are working closely with the practice to ensure everyone continues to receive the care they need, particularly if they live with a long-term health condition.
· You are asked not to attempt to re-register with another practice at this stage. Neighbouring surgeries will not be accepting new registrations from Argyll House patients at the moment.
The options we are now actively exploring are as follows:
· A new GP partner team takes on the contract to deliver medical services. This is our preferred option and would mean the Argyll House Surgery remains open and care continues to be delivered from the site.
· If a new GP partnership is unable to join the practice, then we will be contacting patients to transfer them to an appropriate nearby practice in their area in a managed way.
We will be writing to you again over the coming weeks with details on exactly what the next steps are and which of the above options we will be taking.
If it is necessary for Argyll House to close, this letter will include details of how you will be safely transferred to an appropriate nearby practice in your area in a managed way.
Rest assured, we are committed to ensuring you will continue to have access to high quality care services and to communicating openly with all patients and the wider community about this change. We will be hosting local information events in Ryde for you to find out more about what the changes mean for you and your care. We will
share the details of these events over the coming weeks once the next steps are clear.
If you are no longer registered at Argyll House Surgery, please disregard this letter.
Kind regards,
Darren Cattell
Place Director for Isle of Wight
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board
