Molesey and Thames Ditton GP redundancies due to 'new ways of working'

Three doctors will be leaving a Surrey surgery after all of its salaried GPs were invited to apply for voluntary redundancy.

All 11 GPs at Glenlyn Medical Centre received a letter on 12 December informing them of "the start of an HR process".

The three doctors will leave the surgery, which has sites in Molesey and Thames Ditton, at the end of March.

Its managing director said the job cuts were due to changing patient demand.

Joe Todd said the centre had identified a need to make changes after "a number of recent improvements and the introduction of new ways of working".

He said this included a"significant increase" in the number of online requests received and more virtual appointments.

No other redundancies had been made but Mr Todd did not confirm whether there would need to be future job cuts.

Mr Todd said he appreciated any change could feel worrying for patients.

"I would like to reassure patients that, by taking advantage of the wider team, and the wealth of experience and skills we now have at the practice, we will still be offering the same level of service, just in a different way, so people will still be able to access the services they need from us, when they need them," he added.

New roles at the practice include pharmacists, advanced nursing and paramedic practitioners and paediatric nurses.

They would help people get the care they needed from the right healthcare professional, Mr Todd said.

He added: "Many of these improvements are outlined in the NHS' national Primary Care Recovery Plan and, as we have started to work differently, we have needed to re-look at our staffing so we are aligned to deliver services in this new way."

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