Planned GP merger of Portsmouth practices to go ahead in summer

The Trafalgar Medical Group Practice and The Eastney Practice, in Portsmouth, were due to merge next month but instead will sign contracts and merge in June.

Dr Jon Price, of the Trafalgar Medical Group Practice, said mergers took time to sort out.

‘There’s a great deal of work to be done to prepare for something like this,’ he said.

‘There’s no delay of any kind really – to all intents and purposes we will “become one” in April.

‘The date doesn’t really affect our patients. What will, we hope, be more important to them is that this merger will lead to further improvements in our services to them.’

Both practices have staff at Eastney Health Centre, although Trafalgar also has its main building in Osborne Road, Southsea.

Dr Annie Eggins, of Eastney Practice, said: ‘Combining practices will give us at least twelve GPs, eight nurses and several healthcare assistants.’