Patients are being offered same-day appointments with their GP and consultants under the same roof to help cut down lengthy trips to hospital.
Whitstable Medical Practice is now providing GP appointments, urgent treatment, and outpatient services all under one roof, making it easier and faster for patients to get the care they need.
In some cases, patients can see their doctor and a specialist consultant in the same building and often on the same day.
The site, rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), is one of the country’s first neighbourhood health centres created as part of the government’s new 10-Year Health Plan.
The scheme aims to reshape the NHS by delivering more care locally and reducing pressure on hospitals.
Health minister Karin Smyth visited the practice at its Estuary View site in Wraik Hill last Wednesday (July 23) to meet staff and see how they are putting the model into action.
“Patients are getting the right care, in the right place, at the right time – without unnecessary journeys or delays,” she said.
“For patients across Kent and beyond, this is the future of healthcare we’re building – bringing world-class care closer to home, one community at a time, as part of our Plan for Change.”
New facilities at the Whitstable site include an urgent treatment centre, new consulting rooms, and an outpatient department run in partnership with East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust.
The services are designed to provide more convenient healthcare directly in local communities, reducing the need for patients to travel to places such as Kent and Canterbury Hospital or the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) says those historically hospital-based services, including diagnostics, mental health support, post-operative care, and rehabilitation, will be provided at centres like Whitstable Medical Practice.
Ministers say healthcare teams will also look into other determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support and obesity management programmes.
A DHSC spokesperson told KentOnline: “It is for local areas to define their requirements based on their specific geography, population need, and existing NHS estate.
“Integrated Care Boards will be expected to work with their health providers, local authorities, and community/voluntary organisations to determine what Neighbourhood Health Centre solution is most appropriate for them. ”
Any NHS patient can access the urgent treatment centre (UTC) as a walk-in, or be referred to elective diagnostic, outpatient and day surgery services through NHS patient choice by their GP.
Every service, except for GP appointments, is available to the wider population and not just patients registered to the Whitstable Medical Practice.
The benefits are already said to be being felt across the area, with 89% of patients rating their experience as positive, well above the national average of 75%.
The integrated team approach also means that GPs, urgent care clinicians, and hospital consultants work side-by-side, improving communication and enabling early intervention for those with long-term health conditions.
Dr John Ribchester, executive partner and clinical director of strategy at Whitstable Medical Practice, said: “Working together with our partners has helped us create a centre for joined-up patient care, close to where people live – the definition of neighbourhood care.
“Services close to communities are vital and we’re helping hundreds of patients every day with the care they need, all in one place.”
The government plans to expand this model across the country, eventually creating 200 centres, prioritising coastal and rural areas, where health inequalities and longer hospital journeys can create barriers to care.
Evidence shows that neighbourhood care models can reduce emergency hospital admissions by 15% and ambulance callouts by 10%, while saving the NHS money.
By 2035, two-thirds of outpatient care will be delivered in local settings under the new plan, supported by more GPs and millions of additional appointments.
