Doctors who serve Culling-worth and Denholme say they have achieved the 'least worst option' during the latest health service shake-up.

GPs based at the Wilsden medical centre - who also practice in Cullingworth and Denholme - say they are reasonably satisfied with the final outcome of the report into Primary Care Groups (PCGs).

The Wilsden practice will be included in a new South West and West primary PCG, in an area covering the west side of Bradford, including Allerton and Queensbury.

Doctors had originally wanted to be part of a West Bradford PCG, however this was scrapped as the area suggested only had a population of around 56,000. The South West and West PCG will now cover an area with a population of approximately 147,000.

Primary health services - including family doctors and community nurses - will be split into four new groups as part of the controversial shake-up. The final decision for each area has been made by NHS chiefs who are carrying out government plans to give doctors and community nurses a greater say in how health services are developed.

The decision has received a cautious welcome from GPs based at Wilsden, including Dr Jan Lee. She says: "I think we are all fairly happy with it, even though our initial reaction was that the group was going to be a little larger than we hoped for. We are happy to go ahead and make the best of it although it will be more complicated running a larger group.

"We will be working together as a large group in terms of strategy and we can develop services in each locality."

A priority for the practice is the construction of a new health centre in Wilsden to cope with increasing patients' demands. Dr Lee adds: "It would give us the scope to improve services."

at the practice level and offer more services to patients within the locality."

Bingley conservative councillor Simon Cooke has been liaising closely with doctors at the Wilsden surgery throughout the consultation period.

He says: "I think as far as the areas around here are concerned we have got the least worst option and hopefully it will lead to a better system. There is a lot of pressure upon village services, particularly for old folk, and we want to be sure that we get a fair crack of the whip when it comes to getting new services."

According to Bradford Health Authority, care groups have been based on natural geographic communities and will typically cover a population of more than 100,000.

The health authority says the structure and organisation of social services has also been taken into account during the decision making process.

Practices in Keighley will link up with others in Silsden, Haworth, Bingley, Menston and Guiseley under a Worth Valley PCG. The other areas are North Bradford and Inner City Bradford.

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