A HEALTH project is set to improve GP services across Runcorn over the next 18 months.

R Health involves GP practices in Runcorn working together with residents to explore new ways of delivering GP services.

There are four main areas where the project hopes to make a real difference to services and have a positive impact on patients and staff.

The first area is chronic disease management, which refers to conditions such as diabetes, and R Health will ensure that care is as good as possible for every patient across every practice.

The second strand is care continuity which will involve patients seeing the same clinical team where required and providing routine GP appointments in the evenings and at weekends.

Care navigation means a patient will be provided with information and advice on the most appropriate service to save time and resources.

Back office functions will also focus on the administration, finances and HR processes that take place in each of the Runcorn practices.

Across all four areas, R Health have stressed that it is vital that the real life experiences of patients are listened to and learnt from.

Over the next 18 months there will be plenty of different opportunities for people to have their say.

Dr Gary O’Hare of Murdishaw Health Centre and R Health said: "Our goal is quite simple.

"We’re looking to provide the best services possible for local people and improve their health and wellbeing.

"We also want to make our Practices a great place for people to work so that we can keep the fantastic staff that we have and make sure we attract staff for the future.

"We want local people to get involved.

"We genuinely believe that by working together, sharing best practice and by listening to the ideas of patients we can do things differently and we can make things better."