By Pamela McGowan Health reporter

Last updated 10:05, Friday, 20 June 2008

Another three Carlisle surgeries are in talks about a potential merger, this time on the north of the city.

Stanwix Medical Practice on Scotland Road. From left, Dr Mike Kewley senior partner, Jill Jessamine recptionist, Mary Bradbury medicine manager, Carol Watson receptionist, Dr Celia Lewis, Dr Bill McClay and receptionist Liz Little

Stanwix Medical Practice plans to join forces with the Fusehill and St Paul’s surgeries to create a new purpose-built health centre nearby.

It would serve all of the practice’s existing 6,500 patients plus around 1,800 from Fusehill and 3,000 from St Paul’s.

The news comes a few months since three city centre practices – Brunswick House, Grosvenor House and Warwick Square – announced similar plans to merge on a single site elsewhere in Carlisle.

The Stanwix plans were unveiled to patients this week via a newsletter, which is also asking for feedback.

Bosses also held a meeting last night to gauge the opinions of a cross-section of selected patients, local councillors and community representatives.

Dr Mike Kewley, a senior partner at the Stanwix Medical Practice, on Scotland Road, hopes the new centre will be ready in two to three years. He explained that the current premises has served them well for around 20 years but were far too restrictive for modern needs.

For example disability legislation means all consultation rooms should be wheelchair accessible, yet that is impossible.

But the three practices have much bigger reasons for moving, they want to be able to offer a much wider range of services to their patients, some of which are currently only available in a formal hospital setting. This includes launching clinics specialising, for example, in physiotherapy, endoscopy and dermatology, as well as offering a part-time base to a wider range of health professionals, such as social services.

Dr Kewley said the new health centre would allow them to offer a much wider range of services to people living in the Stanwix area of the city.

However he stressed that there is no risk of it becoming one of the government’s controversial new polyclinics.

“It’s going to be our main surgery but the other two practices are going to use it as a branch surgery for their patients in this area.

“The other two practices will retain their main premises and use the proposed building as branch surgeries. We would therefore represent a group of GPs who will be co-operating with each other but retaining the identities of their present surgeries,” he explained.

Dr Kewley paid tribute to his former partner Louis Bowen, who died several years ago, for establishing and developing the practice over the years.

But he said in order to continue to offer a top quality family service over the next 20 years, it was vital that they move to the next stage.

“People who are most vulnerable need continuity of care.

“We want to reassure patients that they will still have every service that they get at present, including seeing their own doctor, but it’s going to be improved in terms of access, parking and range of services,” he added.

Still in the early stages, bosses have yet to identify a site for the new health centre but Dr Kewley stressed that it would be in the Stanwix area.

Once a location is finally agreed, a private developer will build and continue to own the premises, but lease them to the practices long-term.

Most of the surgeries’ costs will be covered by Cumbria Primary Care Trust (PCT), though they will continue to pay for upkeep and utilities.

Dr Kewley added that the development will be a major step forward for healthcare in the north of the city, which he believes has historically been under-provided for.