TWO GP practices have joined forced to form one organisation.

Benfield Valley Healthcare Hub in Portslade and Brighton Health and Wellbeing Centre in Hove came together on July 1 to form a single partnership, while still providing services from their existing locations.

Patients registered at either surgery will not need to do anything to get a new GP, as their registration and medical records will be automatically transferred.

The two practices in Old Shoreham Road and Western Road will remain open, and patients will still have access to the same services.

They will be able to see their current doctor in the same location but will have the option to use services at partner sites, including Benfield Valley, Brighton Health and Wellbeing Centre and the Burwash Road Surgery branch site in Hove.

The partnership means the GPs can make more efficient use of space and share facilities while providing more services. This means both practices will benefit from extra resilience and cover for staff sickness and annual leave and better cover for clinical and administrative staff.

Benfield Valley Healthcare Hub’s patients will have access to the existing Arts and Complementary Therapies programmes at Brighton Health and Wellbeing Centre.

The practices both serve populations with high levels of mental health issues, homelessness and deprivation.

Dr Pete Devlin, of Benfield Valley Healthcare Hub, said: “We are delighted to come together to provide a single, unified GP service to our registered patients.”

Dr Sam Hall, of Brighton Health and Wellbeing Centre, said: “We are confident that we will work very well together with Benfield Valley Healthcare centre because of our shared commitment to a patient-focused ethos.”

Shilpa Patel, who has led the merger, said: “Coming together gives both practices greater stability for the future at a time where GP practices are facing unprecedented challenges nationally.”