Riverview General Practice to integrate with Riverbank and Lybster

20th August 2022

Following the successful merger of GP Practices in Riverbank (Thurso) and Lybster in 2021, NHS Highland is now supporting Riverview Practice (Wick) to integrate into this unified primary healthcare team. This will bring benefit to both patients and staff thanks to closer working relationships between the practice teams.
There will be an aim to enhance how patients of the practices access services and it is hoped that by working more closely together the service will be more sustainable and, with shared systems, patients will see an improvement with access and patient choice. Staff will be working in a larger multi-disciplinary team which will assist with the on-going recruitment and retention of key posts in primary care, creating opportunities for training, development and career progression.

Jill Mitchell, Head of Primary Care for NHS Highland, said: "I would like to offer reassurance that the practice will remain open with opening times remaining the same.

"This integration offers a number of opportunities and by creating a larger primary healthcare team it will help primary care to be more resilient and sustainable. There will be the ability to share workload across the three sites improving access and service provision. Creating an environment for education, training and development is important to attract and retain staff. GP recruitment is also challenging at the moment and the integration of these practices will allow us to develop career portfolios attracting GPs to Caithness."

Fundamental to the success of the integration will be the renaming of the Practice. Representing the coastal nature and history of the towns with harbours and lighthouses, the Practice will be known as:

Three Harbours Medical Group
(surgeries in Thurso, Lybster and Wick,)

Practice management and the local Primary Care Manager have contacted staff and have been available to answer any questions they may have. Patients are also being given an opportunity to feedback if they wish via our Feedback Team -nhshighland.feedback@nhs.scot.