From 1 April 2016 South Reading CCG will take on delegated responsibility for commissioning GP services, which are currently co-commissioned with NHS England. It is believed that this will offer the local CCG more flexibility in arranging GP services. We in South Reading could benefit particularly from an active management of GP services as there is a risk, as pointed out in the Primary Care Strategy, that our smaller practices will not have the capacity or even the premises to offer the range of services needed to keep people safe in their homes and out of hospital whenever appropriate.

Social Prescribing will be our main topic when Sarah Morland, of Reading Voluntary Action, tells us about this new development which is being piloted at several South Reading CCG area GP practices. The meeting will start at 6pm on 27th January 2016 at 94, London Street, RG1 4SJ. In addition to the talk on Social Prescribing we will be discussing news from Patient Participation Groups, from our CCG and from Reading Healthwatch. South Reading Patient Voice is open to anyone using a GP practice belonging to South Reading CCG while others my attend as guests by arrangement.

The Government's spending review on 25th November 2015 set out spending plans to 2020 and gave NHS England an initial additional 3.8 billion real increase next year out of a total of 8 billion real increase over the four years to 2020/21. Nurses training bursaries have been replaced by student loans and public health funding will be cut by another 3.8% in real terms to 2020/21 on top of a recent 7% cut.

The Governing Body of South Reading CCG meets on Wednesday 2nd December at 9.30 at the Museum of Rural Life, Redlands Road, RG1 5EX The matter to be discussed includes the plan for 4 Berkshire West CCGs, the acute, community/mental-health and ambulance foundation trusts and three local authorities to delegate all their powers to a new integration body to commission integrated healthcare across Berkshire West - for a population of roughly 500,000 people.

South Reading Patient Voice has made a formal response to the Primary Care Strategy prepared by the four CCGs of Berkshire West. Please see the attached document for our full set of key messages - but here is a brief survey. Our area has quite a few small surgeries so facilities like extended opening hours and professional triage (having a health professional talk briefly with you to assess who should see you and how soon) will need either mergers or relocation to more modern premises. But we don't want access to be more difficult.