Dartmouth Medical Practice

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Dartmouth Medical Practice

Dartmouth Medical Practice

Dartmouth Medical Practice has eight doctors, three practice nurses, three health care assistants and 19 administrative staff.

The practice serves a population within a geographical area stretching from Cornworthy in the north to Slapton in the south, the western border running eight miles inland from Dartmouth, skirting East Allington, Blackawton and Halwell.

In this close-knit and friendly community, Dartmouth Medical Practice prides itself on working well with other organisations.

“Being the only practice in the area has enabled us to establish close working relationships with other health and social care providers such as District Nurses, Dartmouth Hospital (medical cover being provided by the local GPs), Palliative Care Nurses and Dartmouth Caring - whose office is sited within the practice,” said Practice Partner Andrew Eynon Lewis.  “Close collaboration, through informal and formal meetings, has been crucial to delivering care to our practice population of 8,500 patients, which consists of a significantly greater proportion of over 75 year olds when compared to the UK average.”

The practice has a policy of encouraging and supporting its staff in the developments of new skills and expertise. This has enabled the practice to deliver enhanced specialist care locally by the GPs. Areas of such expertise include; Cardiology, Ear Nose and Throat medicine, Dermatology, Minor Surgery, Family Planning, Asthma and Diabetic care.

This is a unique mix of skills for a medical practice in Devon – and means that some patients who used to have to travel to a hospital to see a specialist can be treated or assessed within the surgery.

The promotion of quality patient care in general practice and the teaching and training of future GPs has been embedded into the practice for over 50 years: two previous partners, Dr RMS McConaghy  - known as ‘Dr Mac’ - and the ever-popular Dr Giles Keane were founder members of the Royal College of General Practitioners (the body which supports quality and training  in general practice) and this has recently been strengthened by the practice’s  involvement in teaching final year medical students from the Peninsula  Medical School.

“Having young learners provides challenge and energy that encourages the clinical team to keep up to date with the latest thinking and to reflect on their practice,” said Dr Eynon Lewis, who is an associate Dean for the School. “All good stuff for those practice patients receiving care.”

The practice has its own Patient Participation Group (PPG), whose remit is to remind the practice to consider the patient perspective in the development of services and contribute towards the construction of these services.

The group has had an important impact in the development of the appointment system and the implementation of the on-line booking of appointments.

Dr Eynon Lewis said: “We are delighted at the role played by the PPG. There is much more that can be achieved and if you are a patient of the practice reading this, why not consider joining the PPG?”

Dr Adam Morris said: “When considering healthcare in the UK, one thing we can be sure of is ‘change’! It’s not going to stay still. The practice recognises this and importantly, the need to influence change for the benefit of its patients. To this end the practice has representation within the body which commissions care for its’ patients (The Torbay and South Devon Clinical Commissioning Group) and also with the Peninsula Postgraduate Deanery, the body which delivers and directs the training of doctors and nurses.”

Dr Eynon Lewis said that the Medical Practice hoped to find, or build new premises to allow it to continue to develop the services and treatments it provides.

“A particular challenge for the practice is that of providing 21st century healthcare in a 19th century building,” he said. “Perhaps the next time you read something in By the Dart about the Dartmouth Medical Practice this challenge will have been met.”

The Medical Practice has a website, www.dartmedical.co.uk that has information on the practice team, its services, details of how to sign up for online appointment booking, the PPG, an online survey and repeat prescription ordering.•

Tel: 01803 832212 35 Victoria Road, Dartmouth TQ6 9RT

First Published December 2012 By The Dart