[dropcap type=”circle”]I[/dropcap]n what may be viewed as desirable extra choice or a glimpse of a two tier health service, a new Wirral-based private GP service is being launched to offer a fast-track service to beat waiting times for appointments.
The service is piloting at Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Barnston and is being headed by a West Kirby-based member of an NHS practice. 38 year old Dr Henry Aldwinckle is an experienced GP with an advanced qualification in skin problems, and will be running regular Tuesday and Saturday private surgeries at Spire Murrayfield – with the option of extending the service.
He said: “I work in the NHS but I wanted to offer the choice of a different service that can provide longer appointments and appointment times outside the usual GP hours.
“I realise how difficult it can be for busy working people to fit in a visit to their NHS GP on weekdays which can mean many chronic conditions are not being seen soon enough.
“We are offering appointments on Saturdays as well as Tuesdays because we appreciate that many people find it hard to get a routine GP appointment at a time to suit them – urgent cases will of course be seen but non-urgent appointments take longer.
“There would also be a more relaxed approach, with more time allocated for appointments, allowing patients to build a rapport and relationship with their chosen GP.”
Dr Aldwinckle, a GP at a practice in West Kirby, had been looking for a suitable site to open a private GP practice and had approached Spire Murrayfield because it offered an ideal solution.
He added: “Spire Murrayfield is a very highly regarded and well-equipped private hospital and they were also looking to establish a private GP service.
“The advantage here is that they offer a complete package with consultation rooms so that patients can be seen quickly and if necessary referred onto secondary care here at the hospital.
“That would mean that someone needing a scan or blood tests could have it done the same day and the same goes for physiotherapy and other treatments – they could even see a consultant the same day rather than having to wait for a referral at an NHS practice.”
Dr Aldwinckle has a post graduate diploma in practical dermatology from Cardiff University and says that up to 15 per cent of people seen by GPs have dermatological or skin-related problems ranging from eczema to malignant melanomas.
Julie Watkinson, Acting Director of Spire Murrayfield Hospital, said: “We are constantly looking to invest in and upgrade our services and we had been looking to add our own dedicated private GP practice so we were delighted to team up with Dr Aldwinckle.
“We see it as a natural progression in our aim to offer as many services as we can to our patients under one roof and in the case of the GP practice to offer a flexible and speedy response as well as a high quality service.”
Dr Aldwinckle, who was born and brought up in Gayton, is married with three young daughters and lives in Hoylake.
He said: “I very much believe in the NHS which is a national treasure but I see this as a complimentary service which could actually take some of the pressure off the GP services in the area.”
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