HEALTH bosses' plans to create a series of super surgeries across Newport based on close working between existing GP practices could revolutionise primary health care in the city.

If the plans do come off, and there is still a long way to go, the resulting service would allow patients to receive many more treatments in their GP surgery without the need to have to go to hospital.

This has to be a good idea.

Often the city's major hospital, the Royal Gwent Hospital is clogged with people, with a significant proportion of patients not really needing hospital treatment at all.

The knock-on effect of this is longer waiting times for all, including those who are in real need.

If the reliance on A&E and the hospital can come down by as little as 10 per cent because of the easier availability of services in GP surgeries, then that has to be a good thing.

Equally from the patients' point of view it is surely better to avoid a trip to the hospital wherever possible if the illness could be dealt with by the GP.

Initially this will not be a cheap option for the NHS and will carry a multi-million pound price tag but in the long run it could prove much more cost-effective than having patients queueing at hard-pressed hospitals.