Glenlyn merges with Giggs Hill surgery to provide improved service

Cllr Peter Szanto at Glenlyn in Molesey Park Road

Residents have voiced concerns to us about the difficulties they have had obtaining appointments at Glenlyn Medical Centre and the turnover of staff.

Councillors Szanto and Bax requested a meeting with the practice manager Caroline Self, and were invited to see her at the Giggs Hill Surgery in Thames Ditton.

At that meeting, with two other Molesey councillors, she informed us that Glenlyn in East Molesey and the Giggs Hill practice had merged on April 1st. Both will retain their identities but joining together allows them to realise economies of scale, share resources and improve their viability, while hopefully also improving their offering to residents.

Caroline acknowledged it had been a difficult few years for both practices, with funding cuts as the main pressure. From July 6th they introduced urgent care clinics. The idea is that a patient calls their usual surgery and if the matter is urgent they are directed to Giggs Hill, which is based at the Emberbrook Medical Centre in Raphael Drive, Thames Ditton, for treatment by Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs).

The urgent care clinic is also being provided for four hours on Saturdays and Sundays, we understand, which should reduce the burden on A&Es.

Routine GP appointments, long term or complex conditions, referrals and reviews, will be at Glenlyn, and they say the new system will allow 100 additional appointments a day than currently.
More doctors and ANPs are being recruited, we understand.

Clearly some will be unhappy about having to travel further in some cases but the practice(s) hope this will be balanced by the improved service. Steve and Pete are due to have a follow up meeting with Glenlyn in October to discuss how the changes are working.