AMBITIOUS plans are being drawn up to transform the way GP and other primary care services are provided to patients across Newport.

City health chiefs want to develop a number of Local Care and Treatment Centres (LCTCs), providing a broader than usual range of services, plus others currently only available in hospitals.

The first such centre will be in Ringland, replacing the existing health centre.

At least three others - in locations yet to be determined - will follow, to be used by patients from across the whole of the city.

New GP surgeries and improvements to current facilities are also likely, in a long term programme carrying a multi-million pound price tag.

LCTCs, says Newport Local Health Board's medical director Dr Liam Taylor, in a report to members today will offer much more than the traditional GP surgery.

In addition to what patients might expect to find in most such surgeries now, they could also host mental health and other outreach services, Citizens' Advice Bureaux, social services advice, and provide bases for self-help groups.

They would be the hubs of a new 'hub and spoke' model of family doctor and primary care services, housing a practice or practices, but also acting as a referral point for enhanced services not available at other GP surgeries in their locality.

These might include diagnostic testing, some types of therapy, and minor operations.

Patients in the Ringland area will have the first Local Care and Treatment Centre, primarily because the existing health centre is inadequate for current and future needs, its replacement a priority.