GP practice in Cramlington confirms date it will move to new location near Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital

Brockwell Medical Group, currently based at the Brockwell Centre in Cramlington, will begin operating from the new Northumbria Health and Care Academy from Monday, June 3.

Following the switch the practice will be renamed to NPC Northumbria Way after the street that the building, near Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, is located on.

The surgery was previously part of Valens Medical Partnership, which was taken over by the Northumbria Primary Care network of GP practices, an independently run subsidiary of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, from January.

A statement on the practice’s website read: “We are very excited about and proud of our new GP practice. The space is modern, bright, welcoming, fit for modern-day healthcare, and a lovely environment for both patients and our staff.”

It added: “I am sure you will appreciate that it will take our team a few weeks to get used to the new space, but we know they are looking forward to working in their new surgery.

“We very much look forward to welcoming our patients to our new GP practice.”

The new facilities feature additional space to allow community services to use the site and a self-assessment room where patients can carry out their own health checks, including weight and blood pressure.

The new waiting area includes private areas for confidential conversations, an interactive play area for children, and an area to park pushchairs.

Parking is available for patients and is accessible via a ticketed barrier. The practice’s reception can validate tickets for stays longer than 40 minutes.

Patients unable to access the new location independently can arrange transport to their appointment thanks to a partnership between the surgery and Age UK, which can be booked via the reception team.

The old surgery will be used by Northumbria Healthcare’s community team.

According to the Brockwell Medical Group website: “If you have an appointment on this day or after this date, you do not need to do anything. Your appointment will be transferred to our new site.

“Please note the existing Brockwell site will be closed and patients will not be able to access it from this date.

“Although our new GP practice is on the grounds of the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the services are totally separate, as they always have been.

“The way you contact the practice online will not change and our telephone number and practice opening times will also remain the same. You will see the same clinicians that you do now.”

The new pharmacy next door to the surgery is expected to open on the same day as the GP surgery or shortly afterwards.

The upper floors of the building will be used by the Northumbria Health and Care Academy, which will begin teaching students this summer.

The focus of the academy will be training nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, radiographers, podiatrists, and occupational therapists.

It will offer top-up degrees for diploma qualified staff, an enhanced practice masters-level qualification, bespoke training for non-medical prescribing, and shortened nurse training apprenticeships.