Doctor’s orders to be delivered from Sainsbury’s

2:09pm Friday 29th February 2008

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VISITORS to the Sainsbury's store in Heaton Park can now put a GP appointment on their shopping list!

As part of an innovative pilot scheme being launched on Monday, a new "doctors in store" service will operate from the busy supermarket rather than from a traditional surgery.

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust (HMRPCT) say the initiative will enable patients to choose to attend appointments from 6.30pm until 9.30pm Monday and Thursday as well as between 11am and 3pm on a Saturday.

The GPs working at the store will provide this service in addition to their existing practices.

They will have full secure access to patient medical details and be able to make referrals or update records, just like a regular doctor.

The surgery will be located in a fully equipped consultation room at Sainsbury's in-store pharmacy.

Patients can book with "doctors in store" through their registered GP practice by requesting an-out-of hours appointment at the store pharmacy.

This service will be provided by PriMed Services, which is led by Middleton GP, Dr Mohammed Jiva. He said: "Patients' needs are changing and so it's important that we find ways to provide a more flexible and convenient service."

John Pierce, chairman of HMRPCT, commented: "We are constantly working to improve access to healthcare for our patients and the public and by offering this service we will be able to reach the number of people who find it difficult to attend normal surgery times due to work or family commitments."

This scheme is part of a £126,000 investment by HMRPCT to commission three new pilot services that will provide patients with access to GP appointments during evenings and at the weekend. The pilots will run for six months initially and will be evaluated by the University of Cumbria.