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Lowestoft – Bridge Road
Trainers:
Dr Richard Bond
Dr Mark Nettleton (Programme Director)
PRACTICE PROFILE
BACKGROUND
We are a six Partner mixed urban and rural PMS Practice serving approximately 10,500 patients in and
around the coastal town of Lowestoft. Our Primary Care Trust is the Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT.
We operate a personal list system with approximately 1,750 patients per full time Partner. We are able
to work with two GP GPStR’s every six months. Both GP GPStR’s will have their own consulting room.
We have 2 buildings on our one Practice site, the main building and the Atrium, the latter being used
mainly for nurse-led clinics, health promotion and the midwife’s surgeries. It also is the base for both
the Health Visitors and the Community Nurses. Additionally we own a house opposite the Surgery,
number 4 Holly Road, which provide offices for the secretaries, some of the administration functions, our IT file servers and both the Business and Nurse Managers. We have an in-house counsellor and a Mental Health Link Worker.
We mainly refer to James Paget Hospital, Gorleston, but also use the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. We
have access to beds in the GP Unit at Lowestoft Hospital.
Under GMS, we always attained higher targets for child health, immunisations, cervical smears etc and
claimed the maximum allowed for minor ops. Our performance has not “dipped” under PMS. We are very high QOF achievers, and tend to score maximum points on patient feedback surveys.
There are Nurse or Health Care Assistant run clinics for asthma, diabetes, COPD, well man/well woman, Cryotherapy, family planning, travel, hypertension, spirometry and vascular disease. We employ six Practice nurses (including a Nurse Manager) and one Health Care Assistant. We have two
Nurse Practitioners who work to a triage and same day emergency appointment system. We involve the nursing team in the assessing of “same day” emergencies and in more chronic disease management. We are an approved Yellow Fever Centre.
WORKING ARRANGEMENTS
We provide medical cover for Blundeston Prison (a male category C prison with approximately 400
inmates) under a PMS+ contract with the PCT. The workload includes a three hour session every
weekday at the prison, and normal ‘GMS’ cover from 8:30am until 6:30 pm. These surgeries are
“triaged” by the nursing staff at the prison.
PRACTICE MEETINGS
These are held every week from 8.15 am to 9.15 am during a weekday. These alternate between clinical governance meetings and practice business meetings.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The Practice is continually looking at ways of improving the working lives of both the Partners and staff,
thus benefiting the patients. We became a “paperlight” Practice in 2003. We have started to become
much more active in some research projects, and always try to ensure that we are represented at all
various meetings such as prescribing leads and clinical commissioning.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Management Team consists of a Practice Manager and Nurse Manager.
Their jobs are to ensure that the Practice runs smoothly providing both patient and Doctors first class
service.
Dr Richard Bond
Dr Mark Nettleton (Programme Director)
PRACTICE PROFILE
BACKGROUND
We are a six Partner mixed urban and rural PMS Practice serving approximately 10,500 patients in and
around the coastal town of Lowestoft. Our Primary Care Trust is the Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT.
We operate a personal list system with approximately 1,750 patients per full time Partner. We are able
to work with two GP GPStR’s every six months. Both GP GPStR’s will have their own consulting room.
We have 2 buildings on our one Practice site, the main building and the Atrium, the latter being used
mainly for nurse-led clinics, health promotion and the midwife’s surgeries. It also is the base for both
the Health Visitors and the Community Nurses. Additionally we own a house opposite the Surgery,
number 4 Holly Road, which provide offices for the secretaries, some of the administration functions, our IT file servers and both the Business and Nurse Managers. We have an in-house counsellor and a Mental Health Link Worker.
We mainly refer to James Paget Hospital, Gorleston, but also use the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. We
have access to beds in the GP Unit at Lowestoft Hospital.
Under GMS, we always attained higher targets for child health, immunisations, cervical smears etc and
claimed the maximum allowed for minor ops. Our performance has not “dipped” under PMS. We are very high QOF achievers, and tend to score maximum points on patient feedback surveys.
There are Nurse or Health Care Assistant run clinics for asthma, diabetes, COPD, well man/well woman, Cryotherapy, family planning, travel, hypertension, spirometry and vascular disease. We employ six Practice nurses (including a Nurse Manager) and one Health Care Assistant. We have two
Nurse Practitioners who work to a triage and same day emergency appointment system. We involve the nursing team in the assessing of “same day” emergencies and in more chronic disease management. We are an approved Yellow Fever Centre.
WORKING ARRANGEMENTS
We provide medical cover for Blundeston Prison (a male category C prison with approximately 400
inmates) under a PMS+ contract with the PCT. The workload includes a three hour session every
weekday at the prison, and normal ‘GMS’ cover from 8:30am until 6:30 pm. These surgeries are
“triaged” by the nursing staff at the prison.
PRACTICE MEETINGS
These are held every week from 8.15 am to 9.15 am during a weekday. These alternate between clinical governance meetings and practice business meetings.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The Practice is continually looking at ways of improving the working lives of both the Partners and staff,
thus benefiting the patients. We became a “paperlight” Practice in 2003. We have started to become
much more active in some research projects, and always try to ensure that we are represented at all
various meetings such as prescribing leads and clinical commissioning.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Management Team consists of a Practice Manager and Nurse Manager.
Their jobs are to ensure that the Practice runs smoothly providing both patient and Doctors first class
service.