SUMMER 2007

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Open on Saturdays
Bankhouse Surgery was the first GP practice in the region to introduce a Saturday morning surgery. The regular Saturday surgery began on 3rd March. Appointments are from 9.00 am and 11.40 am. We aim to provide a convenient service for patients who work or study during the week.

The new Saturday surgery is not a return to the Saturday emergency surgeries which all GP practices used to provide. These stopped in 2004 when a new national contract for GPs was introduced.

We apologise that our new service is limited to routine pre-booked appointments. Due to Saturday staffing restraints and other issues, the only reception service will relate to the Saturday surgery. Other services, including the making of appointments, ordering or collecting prescriptions, etc., will not be available at the surgery, though these services are available on-line at www.bankhousesurgery.co.uk

Patients in need of medical assistance on Saturdays should telephone NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or Primecare on 0845 603 3131.

New Premises
Keep up to date with progress on our new premises to be located in Park Road at the old Barlows site. More details here »

Practice Success
We continually strive to improve our services, improving on previous years performance. Details of the QOF (quality and outcomes framework) a measure of our clinical success and GPAQ, a patient satisfaction survey here »

Minor Surgery Changes
In contrast with many surgeries, Bankhouse Surgery undertakes a wide variety of minor surgery. This work is mainly undertaken by Dr Heggs who was already a very experienced and fully qualified surgeon before entering general practice. In order to continue to offer minor surgery services to its patients, whilst maintaining the highest possible levels of hygiene and safety, Bankhouse Surgery has now, at considerable cost, moved over to using only single use instruments for all its surgery.

Staff Changes
We welcome the following members of the Bankhouse team, who have joined us recently:

• Dr Raina Shah has now joined the practice as a staff GP having previously trained with the practice as Dr Downs’ registrar.

• Nurse Melissa Waites has recently joined the practice as a full-time practice nurse. Nurse Waites is a Registered General Nurse who joins us from the acute admissions unit at Hartlepool Hospital, where she worked as a staff nurse.

• Claire Reynolds and Louise Rowbotham have recently joined reception. Andrea Ramshaw and Kim Graham also joined the reception team during the last year and are already very well established full-time members of a growing reception and administration team.

Dr Boyle has left the practice to progress her career in Canada. We wish Dr Boyle all the best for the future, it was a real pleasure working with her.

We are no longer able to book ambulances
As from the beginning of April, the ambulance service, in conjunction with all the Tees Primary Care Trusts decided to remove GP surgeries from the booking process.

Patients who believe they require an ambulance now need to telephone a dedicated ambulance booking office at Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust. This office will then decide whether the request meets the relevant criteria and will then pass on the request to the ambulance service longer involved.
Please ask for a copy of the leaflet which explains the new system with details of the number to call.

Improvements to Phlebotomy Services (blood sample taking)
Following a shortage of capacity which has led to patients having to wait too long for appointments to take blood samples, the practice now has a phlebotomy service with three qualified phlebotomists. These phlebotomists also work in reception and administration and are thus available at short notice if required for urgent blood samples.

Our phlebotomy team is Vivienne Barr, Andrea Ramshaw and Louise Rowbotham.