GPs have won deal with Tower Hamlets public health that could lead to an integrated children’s health care service from birth to age 19.

East London Advertiser: GPs' care group wins five-year Tower Hamlets 'health visiting and family nurse' contract. Picture: NHS Library.GPs' care group wins five-year Tower Hamlets 'health visiting and family nurse' contract. Picture: NHS Library. (Image: ©Crown Copyright)

A competitive bidding process secured this week by Tower Hamlets GP Care Group means it adds ‘family nursing’ to its care services after being awarded a five-year contract starting April 1.

The five-year ‘family nurse partnership’ contract is a programme of intensive support to families needing extra help, such as early pregnancy care. It is added to its ‘child health visiting’ service and the ‘schools nursing’ contract it won last year which began in September.

“We are looking to creating a truly integrated children’s service from 0 to 19 with the Family Nurse partnership,” the GP group’s joint chief executive Tracy Cannell told the East London Advertiser.

“This new contract with Tower Hamlets Council brings together separate health care teams that don’t always work together as they should to support families.”

The GP Care Group was set up at Mile End Hospital by all 36 East End practices as a not-for-profit organisation in 2015. It has its own staff of 400 and runs an expanded appointments service and out-of-hours GPs recruited from local doctors rather than bringing in outside locums.