Appointments

All urgent cases will be seen the same day.

For non-urgent problems, our receptionists will offer you the soonest available appointment or your preferred day, up to six weeks ahead.

If the doctor you wish to see is unavailable on that day, you will be offered an appointment with another doctor.

Telephone appointments are available for those who have a problem or query that does not require a face-to-face consultation.

We have a phlebotomist available to take blood at the practice on most days.

Due to the confined nature of our premises at 38, Warwick Avenue in Tuffley, there are a limited number of appointments at that site and, sometimes, we may ask you to attend our main surgery at 5, Heathville Road, instead.

Please note: Doctors’ appointments are generally ten minutes, in order that they can see the large number of people who need them. Consequently, the doctors may not be able to manage long lists of problems and you may need to prioritise and make another appointment if necessary.

It is also worth noting that our nurse practitioner is trained in treating minor illnesses and the nurses are also able to offer contraception, HRT checks, smoking advice/prescriptions and travel vaccination advice.

Let us know if more than one person in the family needs to be seen. We can give you a longer appointment if necessary.

Our two surgeries are linked by computer so that appointments can be made from either surgery. However, due to the small capacity of the branch surgery, at 38 Warwick Avenue, it may not always be possible to obtain an appointment there on any given day because of high demand. In this case patients will be asked to attend 5 Heathville Road.

We try and enable patients to see the doctor of their choice and in most instances this will be possible. However, there may be times when you cannot obtain an appointment with your first choice of doctor because he/she is already fully booked, or away. This is not ideal but we like to think that all of our doctors and nurses will provide you with a first class service. We conduct regular and detailed patient satisfaction surveys.

We realize that no appointments system is perfect but we have found that our ability to see patients quickly is necessary and very popular and we hope that you find it helpful and convenient.

HOW YOU CAN HELP US:

1. Be on time for your appointment.
2. Tell us if you need to cancel.
3. Call for a home visit or urgent appointment before 10.00am.
4. Ring for test results between 11.30-12.30 Monday-Friday

People with disabilities

Our premises have suitable access for people with disabilities and parking is available  

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:00 if you require a home visit.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed.

You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Telephone Appointments

You can book to have a telephone consultation with a GP. He or she will ring you at an agreed time on the telephone number you have given us.

Telephone appointments are a convenient alternative for those problems which do not require a face to face consultation, e.g. for advice or follow up.

Training

For more than twenty years, the surgery has been involved in the postgraduate training of doctors to become GP's. GP Registrar's have several years hospital experience before they join the practice team. Dr Rhys Watkins is a qualified GP trainer, currently working closely with GP Registrar's to assist their entry into General Practice.

Patients may, from time to time, be asked if they mind having another doctor present during their consultation, or if they mind their consultation being recorded for training purposes. The doctors fully understand that some patients may prefer not to have another doctor present or their consultation recorded and will always respect the wishes of the patient at these times.

Our Training Profile

We are a six-partner Practice, (of approx 10,200 patients in a mixed urban/rural pattern.  We also have the services of Dr Susan Amroliwala who works Monday - Thursday and Dr Alyson Van den Broek in a part-time post for two sessions weekly, they are both salaried partners.  The practice is situated in the northern half of the city approximately 1 mile from the centre. The surrounding areas of housing constitute the bulk of the practice population, but all urban areas of Gloucester contribute and we have patients present in all the small villages surrounding the city.

The practice is long established and has had five partners since 1984 and increased in 2003 to seven partners. The practice population is stable and has increased since 1984 by approximately 2000.

The age spread of our patients is typical of all those practices in the city, but we probably have a higher representation of middle class patients than some. All social classes are represented from the homeless to the most socially advantaged.

Five have the MRCGP and all contribute equally to the Practice.

• Dr Rhys M Watkins
• Dr Nicholas Gilbert
• Dr Andrew Seymour
• Dr Sarah Richards
• Dr Rachael Khalid
• Dr Sanjeewa Sumathipala
• Dr Susan Amroliwala
• Dr Alyson van den Broek

We are a teaching practice and, in recent years, almost every registrar has applied to extend his or her training with us. We do not currently have a trainee with us but are due to re-start in August 2013. The current Practice Trainer is Dr Rhys Watkins.

We believe that the practice provides a superb environment for the GP registrar with full commitment to protected teaching time, VTS release, study leave, weekly joint surgeries, video surgeries and tutorials. There is even time for a half day each week for the registrar. Your training year must however be enjoyable and memorable.  One partner holds the DMJ and is a Vice chair of the Clinical Comissioning Group.

We provide clinics for asthma, diabetes, ante- natal, well person, cervical cytology, immunization, smoking cessation, hypertension, coronary heart disease and child health surveillance clinics. Minor surgery, sigmoidoscopy and family planning is also undertaken.  Our immunisation rates for children are approx. 98% and cervical cytology rate close to 85%.

The Primary Health Care team is comprised of the following:

• 3 Practice nurses
• 1 Health visitors
• 1 Midwife
• 1 Health Care Assistant
• 2 Phlebotomists
• A District Nursing team
• 2 Secretaries
• Numerous receptionists/clerical staff
• 1 Practice Administrator
• 1 Office Manager

All participate fully in our monthly primary health care team meetings and clinical governance.

Practice premises are on one large site at Heathville Rd with five consulting rooms for the partners and a further consulting room for our registrar, two nurses/treatment rooms and a branch surgery three miles away in Tuffley, a Gloucester suburb. Both sites are served by the same linked computer system, Isoft Synergie system, with full local area network, NHS net and Internet connections. All consultations are entered onto the computer record by individual partners, which would be termed "paperless" consulting. This terminology does not however indicate the huge influx of paper communication currently being received! All hospital correspondence is scanned into the computer system and we are electronically linked to the hospital for pathology results.

The practice is highly regarded locally with a very good relationship with the consultants at Gloucester Royal Hospital. All partners are fully accredited, with full PGEA.

The above profile is a brief outline of the practice, which we hope is helpful to you. Should you require more information we would be delighted to see or speak to you.

Our Practice Administrator is Mrs Vanessa Bassett Tel. 01452 528299 . Alternatively our trainer Dr Watkins  or Dr Richards  on the same number or by email Rhys.Watkins@gp-l84026.nhs.uk