Berkshire West Primary Care Alliance was formed in 2023 and is a collaboration of 30 NHS GP practices across three local authority areas: West Berkshire, Reading, and Wokingham, collectively known as Berkshire West. In BWPCA there is a strong history of practices working collaboratively together, which has developed in scale over time from individual locality alliances to a whole Berkshire West sized entity. Please see below some of the initiatives operated by the BWPCA.
Website
www.berkshirewestprimarycarealliance.nhs.uk
About the Women’s Health Hub pilot
The Women’s Health Hub pilot was a collaboration between the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, the Berkshire West Primary Care Alliance, and local health watches. The pilot aimed to:
- Integrate women’s healthcare pathways.
- Increase women’s access, experience and quality of healthcare.
- Develop local expertise and leadership in women’s health.
Community Wellness Outreach Project
The Community Wellness Outreach Project is a preventative health initiative designed to offer free, accessible health checks to local residents, particularly in underserved and at-risk populations. By focusing on early detection and timely intervention, the project aims to reduce the burden on acute services and address health inequalities.
- A proactive initiative aimed at improving health outcomes in our communities
- Delivers free, accessible health checks to underserved populations
- Focus on prevention, early detection, and connecting people to the right services
- Promotes health equity and addresses social determinants of health
Reading Urgent Care centre
We are pleased to announce that the new service commission for the Urgent Care Centre service at Royal Berkshire Hospital has been successfully mobilised, superseding both the previous Same Day Access service (at RBH) and the UCC at Broad Street Mall. The service is operational Monday-Sunday 10:00-22:00 (including bank holidays).
Patients can access the service via triage from the clinician working in ED, as well as via NHS 111.
We are working to expand access to bookings to all practices in Berkshire West, with the option for telephone/video consultations for patients for whom this would be a preferred option. We are currently working through the mobilisation period, with the closure of the UCC service Broad Street Mall and the integration with NHS111, and will look to create practice allocations for appointments. This is part of our commitment to ensuring fair and equitable access to the service.