A CONSULTATION over primary care services is planned to take place.

A report will come before the health scrutiny committee on Thursday to provide members with an update on the requirements of NHS England for extended access and enhanced hours services from October 1.

It will also provide the committee with the details of the associated consultation plan.

The report will request the committee’s ‘comment and approval’ on the consultation into extended access services, which is due to commence in May for a period of 12 weeks.

The committee is recommended to endorse the consultation approach for primary care delivered extended access services by NHS Warrington CCG, Central East Warrington Primary Care Network, Central and West Warrington Primary Care Network, East Warrington Primary Care Network, South Warrington Primary Care Network and Warrington Innovation Network.

The report says NHS Warrington CCG currently commissions a primary care extended access service delivered from Bath Street Health and Wellbeing Centre on Legh Street in Warrington.

“This service offers both physical and digital appointments for patients registered with all 26 practices in Warrington,” it adds.

“The service offers 15 minutes of appointments per 1,000 patients. This service remains commissioned by the CCG until 30th September 2022 when responsibility for commissioning of this service will transfer to each of the individual PCNs.

“There is a requirement to consult and engage with respect to this service. The Eric Moore Partnership provides an extended access service for their registered patients only.

“In line with the current directions from NHS England this service should be amalgamated into the PCN service. The Eric Moore Partnership is part of the Central and West Warrington Primary Care Network. There is a requirement to consult and engage with respect to this service.

“To enable the PCNs to appropriately plan and prepare to accept the commissioning responsibilities NHS Warrington CCG has, since August 2021, funded an additional extended access service at PCN level.

“This additional service was a pilot and not a commissioned service to ensure the PCNs had the opportunity to plan and to commence engagement with their own patients to inform the consultation.”