Important update about Central Lakes Medical Group – August 2022
Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) is currently undertaking a procurement process to find a new GP provider for Central Lakes Medical Group, following the decision from its GP partners to give notice on their contract.
Dr Ward, Dr Davies and Dr Cook (the GP partners) have notified the ICB that they intend to stop providing primary medical services from both the Ambleside Health Centre and Hawkshead Surgery sites with effect from 31 December 2022. They have not taken this decision lightly and the ICB is working with them to ensure there is a smooth transition at the end of December. Interim arrangements with local providers will be in place from 1 January 2023 until 31 March 2023, by which time the new GP Practice Provider will have been confirmed and will be in place.
The ICB is committed to ensuring that all patients within Lancashire and South Cumbria continue to have access to high quality General Practice services.
Both the Ambleside and Hawkshead surgeries will remain fully open and patients can continue to access them as normal.
If you have questions about how the GP service at Hawkshead and Ambleside will be provided from the January 2023, please see the list of Frequently Asked Questions below.
If you have a complaint, an enquiry, a comment or a compliment you can contact the customer care team on Freephone: 0800 032 2424.
Frequently asked questions
How do I access General Practices services between now and December?
Patients should continue to contact Central Lakes Medical Group in the usual way to access care; this can be either by telephone or face to face. If you normally contact the practice online, you should also continue to do this.
The telephone numbers remain the same:
- Ambleside – 015394 32693
- Hawkshead – 015394 36246
If you have a query in relation to this letter we ask that you contact the ICB by emailing: lscicb-mb.primarycare@nhs.net
How do I access my General Practice services between January and March 2023?
You should continue to use the same method of contacting the GP practice if you require access to General Medical Services; the same telephone numbers (as above) and access to online services will remain in place.
Can I continue to see my usual GP?
The GPs working at the practice will be changing over the next few months; Dr Davies will be leaving the practice in September and Dr Ward and Dr Cook will leave at the end of December 2022.
The interim provider, from January to March 2023, will ensure that GPs are available at the practice from January onwards as will the new provider from April onwards.
Will the GP Practice sites remain the same?
The intention is that both current sites at Ambleside and Hawkshead will remain open.
How do I express my views on this change and influence future services?
The ICB will be issuing a patient questionnaire to obtain views on the priorities for patients relating to the future service provision. The ICB will also engage the local Patient Participation Group in the hope that the PPG will agree to be involved in the selection process for the new longer-term provider.