Updated 17 August 2018
Medicare Lostock Hall, also known as Medicare Unit Surgery, is based in a two-storey house situated in the centre of the Lostock Hall area of Preston at 1 Croston Road, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5RS. The practice website can be accessed at www.medicareunit.co.uk. The building has been utilised as a GP surgery for over 100 years. Patient facilities are mainly situated on the ground floor and there is one treatment room on the first floor which is used occasionally for minor surgery. The practice provides level access for patients into the building. It has a small car park for patients and staff and there is also a public car park across the road. Public transport is available nearby.
The practice is part of the Chorley and South Ribble Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and services are provided under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract. Out of hours services are accessed locally by dialling 111 and are provided by GoToDoc operating out of Chorley Hospital.
There is one male sessional GP and one practice nurse, a practice manager who also acts as a medicines co-ordinator and three administrative and reception staff who support the practice. The practice is also supported by a team of GPs, clinicians, managers and other administrative staff who work at three other practices operated by the same provider.
The practice provides services to approximately 2,560 patients. There are higher numbers of patients aged over 40 years of age (58%) than the national average (49%) and 53% of practice patients are male.
Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as eight on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest.
The practice has a lower proportion of patients experiencing a long-standing health condition than average practices (47% compared to the national average of 54%). The proportion of patients who are in paid work or full time education is higher (71%) than the national average of 62% and unemployment figures are lower, 2% compared to the national average of 5%.
The service provider changed in December 2017 although staffing at the practice generally remained unchanged and the practice has continued to offer services to existing and new patients. There are three other local practices operated by the same provider and patients are able to access some services and appointments at these other practices. The practice provides family planning, maternity and midwifery services, treatment of disease, disorder or injury and diagnostic and screening procedures as their regulated activities.