Two Swindon GP practices have merged together

Two GP practices in Swindon have officially merged since Friday, as part of a move that will bring two clinical teams together, as well as provide patients with additional services.

Kingswood Surgery in Kingswood Avenue has merged with Carfax Medical Centre in Swindon Health Centre on Friday 1 April. 

The merger, which sees Carfax Medical Centre become a branch site of Kingswood Surgery, will not change how patients interact with their respective surgery, and there will be no need for patients to re-register, nor will there be a change to how appointments are booked. 

Among the benefits of merging will be an increase in the availability of more-specialised staff at each site, such as mental health nurses and physiotherapists. 

Staff at Kingswood Surgery, which will manage both practices, are reassuring patients that the merger will not have a detrimental impact on the way advice, care and treatment is accessed. 

Dr Philip Mayes, Senior GP Partner, Kingswood Surgery, said: “The merging of the GP practices is a very positive move, and ensures that the thousands of patients registered with both practices will continue to receive an equally high standard of care. 

“Patients will not notice a difference in how their healthcare is provided, and we will not be expecting patients of one surgery to travel to a new site for their appointments. 

“The impact of the merger will be mostly visible behind the scenes, where the teams will begin to work in a more joined-up way to share resources, expertise and ongoing learning across geographical boundaries.” 

Kingswood Surgery and Carfax Medical Centre are part of the Brunel Health Group primary care network, which brings together more than a dozen Swindon-based GP practices under a single parent organisation. 

Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which oversees the provision of GP services in the local area, approved the merger at a public meeting on Thursday 9 December 2021. 

Patients can find out more about the merger by visiting the website of their respective GP practice.