THE SWAN Surgery in Petersfield and Liphook Village Surgery are to merge to ensure their long-term sustainability and to improve services to patients.

By April 2017 they will be combined to form The Swan Medical Group.

In a joint statement, Dr Andrew Holden of The Swan Surgery, and Dr Ed Sylvester of Liphook Village Surgery, said “This is a really positive and exciting announcement at a time of significant pressure for the NHS.

“Our joint vision is to offer our patients simple and reliable access to urgent care services each day, supporting specialist GPs providing planned healthcare interventions including family planning or minor surgery, and co-ordinated management of long term conditions by our joint specialist team.

“By working together we can also offer greater access to preventative care, such as improving the self-management of illnesses and long term conditions, providing robust services to our frail and vulnerable patients to stop deterioration at a much earlier stage, and extending services in new and exciting ways.”

One of the biggest benefits for patients is that there will be extended hours on Saturdays, early mornings and evening surgeries, in addition to greater access to acute, planned and preventative care.

Patients will also have greater choice of doctor as the merger will mean there will be 15, offering patients a good choice.

There will also be greater access to a highly skilled nursing team offering improved long term condition management for conditions such as asthma, and diabetes.

Both surgeries will remain open providing care for the local patient population, during the merger period, which it is thought will take up to 18 months.

Patients will remain with their registered doctor, but will be able to have greater choice in being treated at a time suitable to them through access to more clinical staff.

For more information write to, or email, their practice manager, or drop into their surgery and collect a patient information leaflet or look at their surgery’s website.