6th March 2025
Dear Patient
Channel View Medical Group and Teign Estuary Medical Group have been working side by side for many years, providing primary care services for over 22,500 patients in the Teignmouth area. They have frequently collaborated to improve systems and provide essential services such as vaccination programmes, work on research and other projects.
After over 33 years the Partners of Teign Estuary, Dr Julian Squires and Dr Tamsin Venton are due to retire at the end of May 2025. They have been exploring options for the Practice’s future with the key aims being to maintain high quality patient care for their 5,200 patients and to secure the future of their staff. The Practice cannot continue in its current form without Partners. Therefore, the most logical solution is for Teign Estuary to merge with Channel View, bringing together two high performing local Practices to ensure a stable and resilient healthcare for the people of Teignmouth and the surrounding area. It is proposed that a merger will take place subject to all the regulatory approvals.
We anticipate that in the short-term patients would see no change to how they access appointments, the clinical and administrative staff they see or services available at any of the surgery sites.
You do not need to take any action. You should continue to access services in the normal way,
and you do not need to re-register.
The proposed merged Practice will be known as Channel View Medical Group and will consist of six sites – Courtenay Place, The Den, Glendevon, Bishopsteignton, Riverside and Chudleigh. It is our intention that all six surgeries remain open and there are no proposed changes to opening hours.
The merge will ensure sustainability and resilience in a time where several GP Practices across the country are closing, leaving patients with no access to a family doctor. The staff team are central to the current success of each practice and there are no proposed changes to staffing levels as part of the merger.
We understand this change may be concerning; however, we want to reassure you that there will be no impact or disruption on patient care, and no changes to the way you access services. We are confident that patients will be well cared for as part of the new arrangements.
Dr Becky Chowdhury
Senior Partner
Channel View Medical Group
Dr Julian Squires
Senior Partner
Teign Estuary Medical Group
Channel View Medical Group & Teign Estuary Medical Group
Proposed GP Practice Merger – Patient Questions & Answers
1. When will the merge take place?
It is anticipated that the merge will take place in June 2025, subject to all regulatory approvals, and following a period of engagement with patients and staff who are employed by both GP Practices.
2. Will I still be able to make an appointment to see my usual Doctor or Nurse?
Yes. We very much value the one-to-one relationships our patients have with our Doctors and Nurses. It is therefore expected that merging practices will not affect our ability to provide you with continuity of care.
We also expect to be able to reduce the need for locum doctors and provide you with a greater number of highly skilled local Doctors and Nurses should your usual Doctor or Nurse be on leave.
3. Will I still be able to make appointments at my usual Doctor’s surgery?
Yes. We will continue to provide daily appointments to see Doctors, Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. In addition to these appointments, we will also be offering e-consult which is a convenient way to communicate with a GP 24 hours a day via the Practice website. This is a popular service where you are asked the same questions that a GP would ask in a face-to-face appointment. Your answers are then reviewed by a GP, and you will receive a response from the practice within 48 hours, with advice about what needs to happen next. This could be a phone call, a face-to-face appointment, a prescription or a referral to another service
4. Will my usual surgery opening times stay the same?
Yes, there will be no changes to our core opening times. Courtenay Place, The Den, Chudleigh and Glendevon surgeries will continue to be open Monday to Friday from 08.30am to 6:00pm. Bishopsteignton & Riverside surgeries will continue to be open 08:30am to 6:00pm Mondays and 08:30am to 1:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
5. Will there be changes made to the way I book appointments?
No. We do not anticipate any changes to the way you book appointments, and you will continue to be able to book these in the same way as you do now.
We will continue to contact patients who require scheduled vaccinations, chronic disease reviews or routine screening, e.g. cervical screening tests.
6. Will I be able to make an appointment to see a Doctor and / or Nurse at another GP Practice site?
Once we have merged our IT systems, you will be able to request appointments with any Doctor and/or Nurse at all Practice sites, providing you with greater access to a wider range of services and availability. The date for this is to be confirmed but we expect will be within a month of the merger date.
7. Will I have to go to another GP Practice site for consultations and / or treatments?
No. However, if in the future we feel that being seen at the other site provides a better or more appropriate service for specific patients – for example a particular Doctor at one site may specialise in COPD or diabetes – you may be asked if you would like to attend that site in order to access more specialised care if this is appropriate and you choose that option.
8. Will any service that is currently offered by my usual surgery be removed or stopped?
No. We do not plan to remove or stop any services. If anything, we anticipate that this merger will bring about a greater choice of services for our patients.
9. Will there be any changes to how I access the GP Out of Hours service?
No. In order to access a GP when the practice is closed, you will continue to telephone the NHS 111 service, and they will either signpost you to the most appropriate service or arrange for you to access a GP.
10. Will the current arrangements that I have in place for getting my medicines stay the same?
Yes, this will remain the same.Channel View Medical Group & Teign Estuary Medical Group
11. Will the merge affect any treatment or medication I am currently receiving either at my usual surgery or any hospital?
No. Any current treatments, medications or investigations will not be affected by our intention to merge.
12. Will I need to re-register to become a patient of the single GP Practice? What will happen to my health records?
No, you do not need to take any action. You will not need to re-register as a patient of the practice.
All of our patient lists will automatically be merged into a single GP Practice and your health records will reside within a single patient database. The NHS safeguards in relation to patient confidentiality of information will continue to remain in place both throughout the transition and afterward.
13. How will the new arrangement benefit GPs and Nurses at the Practice?
Our GPs, Nurses and Healthcare Assistants will have access to a wider pool of clinical knowledge and expertise to draw upon and will have greater opportunities to specialise in areas such as diabetes, care of the elderly, palliative care and urgent care access.
We also anticipate that the current level of administrative tasks that our clinical staff perform will be dramatically reduced, therefore allowing them more time to spend responding to, and delivering, the clinical care our patients need.
We anticipate being able to better cover any planned or unplanned absences, which we hope will alleviate the resulting pressures felt by the remaining staff. In addition, we should be able to reduce our reliance on expensive locum and bank staff.
Furthermore, our staff will have greater opportunities for enhanced training and career development.
14. What are the future plans for premises now that the Health & Wellbeing Centre is no longer going ahead? Will these plans change with the merger?
Channel View has been able to secure a further three years on the lease on The Den building. This is to allow services to continue but does mean that another solution will need to be found that is ready within those three years. That solution will now need to take in to account the additional Teign Estuary patients.
Securing a solution is a top priority for Devon Integrated Care Board and they are working closely with Channel View & the local Council to achieve this.
15. I have further questions I would like to ask and/or comments I would like to make. How can I do this?
If you are concerned that we haven’t considered a potential impact as part of this change, or you have any questions and / or comments, please submit these by email to:
d-icb.patientinput.channelview@nhs.net
If you don’t have access to email, you can telephone your usual surgery (after 10 am) to leave feedback.
Alternatively, you can put these in writing for the attention of the Practice Manager at your usual surgery.
Please submit all feedback by 31st March 2025
16. What will happen to my feedback on the merger?
We cannot promise to respond to every piece of feedback personally, but we will ensure all feedback received is fed into the development of this proposal so that all patients can have their suggestions, comments or concerns heard.