Patients in Great Yarmouth and Waveney could soon have more power to make decisions about their healthcare through a single group representing all of the area's doctors.

Patients in Great Yarmouth and Waveney could soon have more power to make decisions about their healthcare through a single group representing all of the area's doctors.

A single GPs group is now being set up and will eventually become the local GP consortium for the 230,000 people living in the Yarmouth and Waveney area.

Contracts with doctors are currently run by the local primary care trust, NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney, and other healthcare providers, but new government proposals for changes to the NHS will see doctors running health services through local groups from April 2013.

It is hoped that the new proposals, which are currently subject to a public consultation, would help to give patients access to the information they want so that they can make informed choices about their care and have more control over their own records.

Andy Evans, chief executive officer of Waveney practice-based commissioning and Yarmouth practice-based commissioning, said: “All 26 practices in Great Yarmouth and Waveney met to discuss the future of GP commissioning and the way forward. It was agreed, unanimously, that all practices will form one unified group, to become a consortium if the proposals go ahead, for the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area. We are delighted with this approach and it will ensure our patients continue to benefit from the excellent healthcare they have on offer currently.”

Sushil Jathanna, chief executive officer of NHS Yarmouth and Waveney, said: “The public consultation is ongoing, so this decision may change depending on the outcome, but we are moving ahead to ensure we have systems of care in place.”

More information at www.gywpct.nhs.uk