Located in the north-east of Wiltshire, Swindon is the county’s largest settlement, with a population of more than 220,000 people.
A thriving town, with a history rooted deep in industry, Swindon has expanded greatly within the last 10 years, mainly due to its competitive house prices and its proximity to nearby large towns and cities, such as Bristol, Bath, Reading, Oxford and London.
Although an attractive place to live and work, especially for new families and high-earning professionals looking to commute, Swindon’s health landscape is marred by a number of challenges. There is a sharp contrast in life expectancy depending where in the town people live. Some studies have suggested that men in the more affluent areas of Swindon could live up to nine years more than those in the more deprived areas.
Other challenges facing Swindon are similar to those that affect other towns and cities, such as ageing populations, growing obesity levels and an increasing number of people falling victim to drug and alcohol misuse.
Despite this, Swindon is in a fantastic position to build its health economy into something truly integrated.
The Great Western Hospital, located to the south of the town, not only provides acute healthcare, but also community care and, more recently, primary care services. Having a single provider for a wide range of services ensures that care can be more joined-up, and puts Swindon in a position that is unique of other similar-sized towns.
Priorities for Swindon:
Improvement
Working with communities
Infrastructure
Under each of these areas are a number of further, more-detailed priorities that showcase where the Swindon Integrated Care Alliance is heading.
Significant work programmes under way
- Exploring enhanced intervention in some of the town’s most deprived areas to see if benefits can be achieved
- Enable staff to work flexibly across the whole system through new approaches
- Reduce autism and learning disability waiting lists, and clear any backlogs that exist
- Encourage people to take up self-care programmes, which is backed-up by enhanced community support
Swindon Primary Care Networks
Brunel PCN 1
Clinical Lead: Dr Francis Campbell
Elm Tree Surgery
Ridgeway View Family Practice
Station House Surgery (branch)
Brunel PCN 4
Clinical Lead: Dr Sarah Bruen
Blunsdon Surgery (branch)
Hermitage Surgery (branch)
Taw Hill Medical Practice (branch)
Westrop Medical Practice
Tadpole Surgery (branch)
Moredon Medical Centre
Sparcells PCN
Clinical Lead: Dr Richard Carter
Sparcells Surgery (branch)
Great Western Surgery (branch)
Whalebridge Practice
Brunel PCN 2
Clinical Lead: Dr Nadia Coates
Carfax NHS Medical Centre (branch)
Kingswood Medical Group
Brunel PCN 5
Clinical Lead: Arpit Srivastava
Victoria Cross Surgery
Abbymeads Medical Practice
Eldene Surgery
Lakeside Surgery (branch)
Penhill Surgery (branch)
Wyvern Health Partnership PCN
Clinical Lead: Dr Mark Boothman
Lawn Medical Centre
Old Town Surgery
Priory Road Medical Centre
Brunel PCN 3
Clinical Lead: Dr Coralie Chapman
Ashington House Surgery
North Swindon Practice
Freshbrook Surgery (branch)
Crossroads Surgery (branch)
Brunel PCN 6
Clinical Lead: Dr Humaira Ramzan
Ridge Green Medical Centre
Park Lane Practice
Phoenix Surgery
Hawthorn and Merchiston PCN
Clinical Lead: Dr Laura Bond
Hawthorn Medical Practice
Merchiston Surgery