The planned merger between Academy Medical Centre and Ravenswood Surgery in Forfar has received a boost with the confirmation of two-year Scottish Government funding through the Primary Care Transformation Fund.
The funding will support the merger and introduction of new models of care at what will become one of the largest general practices in Scotland.
Dr Nico Grunenberg said: “We are really delighted to have received ongoing support from the Scottish Government to help deliver our plans for the new practice.
“This will allow us to realise our ambitions for the new practice.
“Many of our patients have been seeking reassurance that the merger is going ahead and we can advise that lots of work is ongoing to get ready for what is a big change for us all.
“We have been working with NHS Tayside to finalise plans to reconfigure the existing Academy Medical Centre and it is hoped that the final plans will be agreed this week.”
Dr Grunenberg added: “Once we know how long the building works will take we will be able to commit to a merger date and share that with our patients.”
Once merged, the new Chapelpark Healthcare Centre will serve a practice population of approximately 14,200 and aims to deliver care tailored to meet the needs of the individual, with patients allocated to one of five small ‘teams’.
Each team will consist of GPs, practice nurses, healthcare assistants, community nursing staff and reception staff.
Dr Grunenberg added: “Services will continue to be delivered throughout the refurbishment works.”