Duns Medical Group - Provision of General Medical Services

NHS Borders have been considering the patient feedback that we have received to date, and have been working with the GP Partners of Duns Medical Group, neighbouring GP Practices and local GP representatives to consider the options for future provision of primary care (GP) services to patients.  

This follows the information shared with patients in December 2020 that GP Partners Dr Simon McCann and Dr Fiona Megahy are retiring from Practice on 31 March 2021.

On 28 January 2021 an ‘option appraisal’ meeting to consider the options available will take place.

An option appraisal is a standard process used to choose between a range of possible options. By following this process we can give stakeholders assurance that the strengths, weaknesses, risks and issues of a range of different options have been fully considered to identify a preferred option.

A summary of the options, in no particular order, that will be considered is:

• Any tenders that are received as part of the current tender process. This means any GPs who come forward expressing an interest in taking on the Practice as a ‘going concern’ from the existing premises. Each tender received will be considered as a separate option.

• The allocation of patients to another GP practice as close to home as possible.

• NHS Borders operates the Practice from the existing premises as what is known as a ‘2C’ Practice. This means that NHS Borders manage the Practice and are responsible for finding GPs to work in it.

Practice patients are asked to submit any additional views or concerns that they would like to be fed into the options appraisal process, by Monday 25 January 2021 via the following means;

By submitting the online feedback form found here
By phoning: 0800 731 4052 (free of charge) – you may need to leave a message
By email to: public.involvement@borders.scot.nhs.uk
By post to: Public Involvement, Education Centre, Borders General Hospital, Melrose, TD6 9BS.

The option appraisal meeting will have 12 voting members, including: 3 patient representatives, 1 member of NHS Borders Public Partnership Forum, 3 GPs, 1 Community Pharmacist, 1 Scottish Borders Council representative and 3 NHS Borders representatives.  The meeting will be held virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions.

If any Practice Patients would like to participate in the meeting as one of the three patient representatives they are asked to email public.involvement@borders.scot.nhs.uk or phone 0800 731 4052. People must be available between 9am and 1pm on Thursday 28 January 2021 and have access to Microsoft Teams.