DEVON Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has approved the merger of the two Crediton area doctors’ practices Chiddenbrook Surgery and New Valley Practice.

Speaking about the merger, Dr Jo Harris, told the “Courier”: “The partners of Chiddenbrook Surgery and New Valley Practice are delighted to announce that Devon CCG have now approved our request to merge practices and, from April 1, 2021, the practices will combine under our new name: Redlands Primary Care.”

It has been explained patients will be able to identify each part of the new practice by name with Chiddenbrook becoming Redlands Primary Care Threshers, New Valley will be called Redlands Primary Care Newcombes and the New Valley Thorverton branch will be renamed Redlands Primary Care Thorverton.

During a patient consultation, the practices received feedback from several Thorverton patients, concerned that the merger between New Valley and Chiddenbrook may result in the closure of the Thorverton branch.

The GP partners of both practices want to reassure everyone that they are fully committed to the Thorverton branch and can confirm that it will retain its role as a dispensing practice.  They said that Redlands Primary Care Thorverton holds an important and ongoing place in the new partnership.  

They add that other than the new names, patients will experience little difference as the Redlands Primary Care team will continue to provide the services patients are used to having at their current practice.

Richard Ward, current Practice Manager for Chiddenbrook Surgery, will be the Practice Manager for Redlands Primary Care.

No changes to GPs, nurses, other clinical and administrative staff are being made because of the practice merger to form Redlands Primary Care.

Patients will be able to call Redlands Primary Care using the same telephone numbers that are currently in use: 

• Redlands Primary Care Threshers: 01363 772227 

• Redlands Primary Care Newcombes: 0333 344 2988 

• Redlands Primary Care Thorverton: 0333 344 2988 

Rather than continuing with two websites, a new Redlands Primary Care website will be launched on April 1, 2021: www.redlandsprimarycare.nhs.uk .

The new building on Joseph Locke Way, is progressing and it is hoped that Redlands Primary Care team will have moved into this new purpose-built home in late summer or early autumn of 2021.

Once they have moved, the two current Crediton based sites of Threshers and Newcombes will close, and the new building will be known as Redlands Primary Care Crediton, with Redlands Primary Care Thorverton continuing as the branch site.

Dr Peter Twomey said: “We are very excited about the merger and about the future for primary care in our local communities. We are about to enter a brand-new phase of our journey and we are grateful for and energised by the support of our patients.”