Boots could get a doctor in the city

Deborah Linton

July 03, 2009

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A NEW doctors' surgery could open in a city centre branch of Boots to bring long-awaited medical services to the doorsteps of thousands of residents.

The High Street chemist has drawn up plans to open a practice in its Cross Street store in Manchester.

It will be only the third surgery in central Manchester despite the area now being home to around 20,000 people.

Walk-in

The new practice is expected to serve 8,000 residents. It will also have a walk-in surgery which it is understood could be used by city centre workers as well as patients. Health chiefs revealed last year that they were to search for a tenant and location to open a surgery to relieve the massive shortfall in patient places in the city centre.

Turned away

Around 12,000 people are registered with the two practices that are currently open but thousands more are being turned away because the books are full. Residents have been campaigning for two years for a new practice to serve the expanding city centre population.

The Boots surgery would be open 12 hours a day, from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and 365 days a year if proposals are approved by town hall planning bosses.

Triage

The practice would be split level, across the ground and first floors of the store, with a triage room and out-of-hours reception downstairs and the main practice on the upper floor.

City centre campaigner and resident, Anthony McCaul, said: "This is fantastic news for city centre residents and two years worth of campaigning has come to fruition.

'Super surgery'

"This super surgery will serve thousands and will give residents here something that people in other areas take for granted - access to medical services on their doorstep."

Boots have opened doctors' surgeries in six high street stores throughout the country. A spokeswoman would not confirm whether the Manchester surgery will be fee-paying or not.

Last year the country's first supermarket surgery opened in Sainsbury's in Heaton Park. The clinic is run by a company called Doctors in Store who employ four GPs there.

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Showing comments 1 to 8 and replies | View All

Mike S, Manchester (03/07/2009 at 09:43)

Come on journalist Deborah Linton - have you checked whether the other 6 surgeries Boots have throughout the country are fee paying? It would be a good indication of whether this one is likely to be, even if Boots' spokeswoman wouldn't confirm (which I'm taking to mean yes)...

Maynard Kitchener Lampwick Manchester , (03/07/2009 at 10:57)

Should be no need for GPs in this Country, in Spain you can walk in to a chemist and buy Antibiotics and other medcines, in this country you have to make a appointment, queue all day, take time off work, then wait at a chemist till they type your prescription, its all time consuming, most GPs take the mickey in this country, giving tyrozetts for throat infections, they are just sweets...

MPs gravy train, UK (03/07/2009 at 12:43)

Well lets hope its a better operation than their dental practice that lasted no more than a couple of years before closure. If it is open 12 hours a day then that will be good news as my city centre GP surgery is only open 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon and shuts most Thursdays. It doesn't open in the evenings or on Saturday morning. And the Govt says they have reformed GP services!!!!!

Brook Lands (03/07/2009 at 12:57)

Maynard - if we all took antibiotics willy nilly then a great deal of the ailments we treat them with would become resistant, we're in danger of making this happen anyway with people thinking they should get them if they come in with a sniffle.

Maynard Kitchener Lampwick Manchester , (03/07/2009 at 16:09)

Brook Lands

What I'm trying to say if someone has a illness in this country, they should be able to walk into a chemist, tell the chemist the symptoms and then get what's required like Spain, no numptie would want antibiotics for a sniffle, that way sack doctors from surgeries...
There is to much of this prescription only medcine in this country, its a money making racket, you don't need to see a Doctor in Spain for Amoxcillina.....

Guten Tag, Manchester (03/07/2009 at 18:08)

Maynard - I believe that is what this Government ask you to do anyway, colds, sniffles, sore throats, etc, go and see a pharmacist instead of your doctor. I wouldn't dream of seeing a doctor with something as common as a cold or sore throat. In fact, I haven't seen a doctor in just under two years. So far the local chemist has been excellent in treating me and in some cases cheaper then a prescription.

barbara allan (03/07/2009 at 20:04)

My understanding is that the new city centre GP practice has been commissioned by NHS Manchester. As one of the GP's at "The Docs", Bloom Street, City centre, I can confirm that our practice has been open to new patient registrations for over one year. Our opening hours are 8:30-6pm Mon, tues, fri, 8:30-1pm thurs and 8:30-8pm weds. I hope this helps clarify a few points. Oh -and the freely available antibiotics via european pharmacies has been a major contributary factor to increasing microbial resistance europe wide . Dr Barbara Allan

Rammylad (03/07/2009 at 20:10)

Lets hope they put more effort and commitment into this than the dentist.

I have a phobia (sp) of dentists but with a chipped tooth and a dead tooth (technical term) I reached a point after 10 years I needed to do something. Then along comes trustworthy Boots and I got my teeth sorted in a relaxed environment where I felt I was not being ripped off.

Then they can the whole idea and hand my records over to another practice and here I am nearly three years later without a check up again.

Boots need to be checked out to ensure they have an honest and robust business plan so as not to stuff people about again.

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