Introduction to the Birchwood Medical Practice
The medical practice is a doctor partnership. It has a Primary Medical
Services (PMS) contract with the Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and
provides a full range of services and facilities for NHS patients. It is
part of the Optimus Group of Medical Practices.
The practice list size is approximately 9000 patients.
Practice Partnership
Dr Martin John Latham (male, part time)
MB ChB (1977 Edinburgh) FRCGP DRCOG FP Cert
Dr Richard Nicholas Smith (male, full time)
MBChB (1988 Leeds) BSc Hons, DRCOG FP cert MRCGP MSc
Dr Richard Paul Williams (male, full time)
MB ChB (1993 Sheffield) MRCGP
Dr Catherine A Armstrong (female, part time)
MB BS (1994 London) DCH MRCGP
Dr Susan Vivien Gough (female, part time)
MB BS (1987 London) DRCOG DCH FP Cert MRCGP MSc
Assistant Doctor
Dr Rama Mark (female, part time)
MB BS (1984 Delhi) DGC MRCOG MRCGP
Dr Rama Mark is employed by the doctors as a General Practitioner; she
has skills and experience in obstetrics and gynaecology.
Languages spoken:
Hindi, Urdu, Telegu, Tamil and Punjabi.
Locum Doctor
In the event of a doctor being away because of illness, annual leave or
on study leave, either one of the other doctors in the Practice or a
locum doctor will take over their duties.
Practice Manager
The Practice Manager is Mrs Christine Thorpe.
She ensures the smooth running of the practice and liaises with the
Partners and members of staff. Christine is available to the patients
should they have any suggestions, queries or complaints.
Clinical interests of the doctors
Our receptionists will triage on the telephone to ensure you are offered
the most appropriate service and clinician:
Dr Catherine Armstrong Dermatology
Dr Rama Mark Gynaecology
Dr Nicholas Smith Urology
Dr Richard Williams Diabetes, Anti-coagulation
Nursing Team
Heather Lilley,
(female) RGN, prescriber
Sue Boothby, (female) RGN
Hayley Graham, (female) RGN
Jenny Latham, (female) RGN Cytology Nurse
Yvonne Glenford (female) Healthcare
assistant/phlebotomist
Leigh Mooney (female) Admin clerk/phlebotomist
Trainee Nurse
A student nurse may have a practice placement with us whilst undertaking
their RGN training with Nottingham University.
Non Clinical Staff
The practice team supports the GP’s and nurses, consisting of
secretaries, administration staff and receptionists. All our practice
staff receives regular training in the patient computer system, practice
protocols, management of patient records and confidentiality.
Opening Times for the Birchwood Medical Practice
8.00am and 6.30pm on Monday to Friday.
Appointments are also offered outside these hours and patients will gain
access to the building using the intercom.
Out of Hours
We are closed between the hours of 6.30pm and 8.00am,
weekends and on Bank Holidays.
There is an emergency doctor service available commissioned by
Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and located at Primary Care ‘Out of
Hours’ Emergency Service at Lincoln County Hospital. The telephone
number is:
Lincoln 0845 0450281
for patients to ring for urgent medical problems that cannot wait until
the next day to be treated. If for any reason you cannot get through to
this service and the matter of urgent persists or you need a doctor in
an emergency dial
999
without delay.
NHS Direct (24 hours a day) 08
45 46 47 or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Closed during training
To receive a high standard of care, patients can be confident that all
members of the practice team receive regular appropriate training.
The practice will close the surgery between 1.00pm and 6.30pm on the
third Tuesday of most months to enable training. During this period the
‘out of hours’ service will provide GP cover to our patients.
NHS Walk-in centres.
The nearest to this practice is 3 miles away. Lincolnshire Community
Health Services NHS Walk- In Centre 63 Monks Road. Lincoln LN2 5HP
Offering fast convenient access to a range of NHS services, including
health information, advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses
(coughs, colds, infections) and minor injuries (strains, sprains, cuts).
They are open from 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
Appointment Times
Appointments are available weekdays, Monday to Friday.
You may book appointments up to four weeks in advance.
Each individual GP’s appointments may vary due to the day of the week –
but typically appointments are available to book between these times:
8.00 am – 11.30 am 2.30pm-5.00pm
Appointments are offered outside main opening hours at the following
times:
Mondays 6.30pm-8.00pm
Wednesdays 7.00am-8.00am 6.30pm-8.30pm
Children under the age of 12 can be seen for minor ailments in an ‘open’
clinic between 11.00am-11.30am daily – no appointment necessary.
Practice nurse appointments are available between 8.00am to 6.00pm
daily.
Telephone Consultations
Our practice also offers telephone consultations if you do not need to
be examined by the GP. Ask for a telephone consultation and you will be
given the exact time that the GP will call you for your consultation at
home or work.
Telephone Advice
If you would like to speak to either a doctor or a nurse, please leave
brief details and your contact number with the receptionist and they
will ring you back at a convenient time.
Home Visits
We believe that most problems are better dealt with at the surgery if at
all possible, but we are always pleased to see our patients at home if
they are too ill or infirm to visit the surgery. All we ask is that
requests are made before 10 a.m. if possible.
We are a Training Practice
Trainee doctors receive appropriate training and gain valuable
experience with us and we believe our practice and our patients gain a
lot from them as they bring with them to the practice up to date
knowledge and techniques as well as a friendly enthusiasm.
Occasionally you may be asked for your consent in taking a video of your
consultation in order to assist them with training.
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GP Registrars |
Registrars are graduated doctors and spend a total of one year with a
practice following their two foundation years training.
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Foundation Doctors |
2nd year Foundation doctors are with us for four months.
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Medical Students |
5th year medical students are with us for four months at a time.
Premises and Facilities
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Dedicated disabled parking bays immediately outside entrance. |
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Automatic main doors and no steps or stairs in the building |
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Confidentiality area at reception desk |
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Disabled toilets with alarm for assistance |
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Wheelchair available for patient use. |
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Hydraulic couches to provide comfortable examination facilities |
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High back easy chairs & bariatric chairs available in the patient
waiting room |
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Self assessment waiting room facilities - Blood pressure and BMI
machines. |
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Hand rails provided in the corridors. |
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Visual patient call system with audible beep- useful messages. |
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Portable loop for the hearing impaired |
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Baby changing facilities |
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Touch screen - self check-in system (easy and confidential) |
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There are two pharmacies adjacent to the premises.
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Community Staff in Birchwood Medical Practice
Within the medical practice premises there is a pharmacy and resident
community staff including: health visitors, podiatrist, speech
therapist, sure start health visitors, and physiotherapist. The
community midwife visits to hold weekly antenatal clinics.
What Services does the Practice Offer?
The practice offers a complete range of medical services including:
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Pregnancy testing, family planning and contraception services,
C-card scheme. |
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Maternity services |
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Baby clinic and weight monitoring |
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Cervical cytology |
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Minor surgery services |
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Wound & leg ulcer management |
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Smoking cessation clinics |
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Minor operation and wart clinics |
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Travel advice and holiday vaccination |
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Men’s health |
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24 hour blood pressure monitoring & ECG’s |
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Spirometry clinics |
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Chronic disease management clinics including diabetes, asthma, COPD |
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Child health surveillance and Immunisations & vaccinations |
Private Services
In addition we offer some medical services which are not available on
the NHS, e.g. HGV & insurance medicals, yellow fever.
Internet Access
24 hour (seven days a week) internet access to book or cancel your own
appointment and view or order your own medication.
Patients must register for this service.
Registering as a Patient
Patients who wish to register must live within the practice boundary
(see map in the waiting room). The practice may refuse an application to
join its list if you do not reside in our area. We will not refuse to
accept you on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion,
sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition.
Bring in your medical card and complete a registration form, including a
health questionnaire. Once you have completed the forms you will be
registered with the practice and we shall apply for your full medical
records from the health authority. This may take up to three weeks to
receive from your previous medical practice and up to eight weeks to up
date our computer system.
Once registered you have the right to see any of our doctors, but you
may prefer one particular doctor so that you can receive a more personal
service. We would encourage you to see your usual doctor for ongoing
problems.
Temporary Patients
We will be pleased to see anyone staying with or visiting you if they
require a doctor or a nurse and cannot get to their own medical practice
due to distance.
The practice area that we cover:
Birchwood, Doddington Park, Hampton Park, Forest Park, Hartsholme,
Shearwater, Stone Manor Park, Swanpool, Whitebridge Park and the village
of Skellingthorpe.
There is ample parking within the Health Centre complex and in the
adjacent public car park.
Medical Health checks
New patients may have a new patient health check. It is essential that
you attend this appointment to enable us to evaluate your medical
requirements, discuss any concerns and your medication.
If you are over the age of 75 or you have not had an appointment with
the doctor for three years you may request a health check with a
practice nurse.
We offer health checks to men over the age of 50. If you have not had
one, please make an appointment.
All women are offered a health check including cervical, breast and
blood pressure checks, as well as general health advice. Women are
recommended to have regular cervical smears to check the neck of the
womb (the cervix) is healthy and that there are no changes that could
develop into cancer. We recommend that these checks be carried out a
three yearly intervals between the ages of 25 – 50 years and five yearly
between 50 – 65 years. For older women, advice is available on the
menopause and the prevention of osteoporosis (thinning of the bones)
Ante Natal Services
Are you planning to have a baby? Care begins before you get pregnant.
Make sure that your immunisations are up to date and you have had your
routine smear test. Have you been screened for Rubella (German
measles)? Take extra folic acid to try to prevent Spinal Bifida. If you
smoke you should stop, or at least try to cut down, for the sake of your
baby’s health. If you think you are pregnant, please make an early
appointment with the doctor to discuss the management of your pregnancy.
The midwife offers appointments on Mondays and Wednesdays at the
practice.
Chaperones
During your appointment with a doctor or nurse, you are welcome to ask
for a chaperone. This will usually be one of the nursing team, however
if a nurse is unavailable another staff member can chaperone with your
agreement.
Medicines Management Scheme
Under this scheme the pharmacy with works with our GP’s to provide you
with advice and medication without the need to visit the GP. Take ID
with your for any of these conditions: indigestion, heart burn, stomach
upset, diarrhoea, constipation, sore throat, headache, earache,
temperature, nasal congestion, hay fever, head lice, thrush, and
unprotected sexual intercourse.
Repeat Prescriptions
Order accepted by hand, post, fax, email, telephone or through the
internet service which is 24 hrs/7days a week.
Telephone the main number 01522 699999 after 9.30am each day or order on
the dedicated answer phone number 01522 501111 (24 hours/7 days a week)
Email to: prescriptions.bmp@lpct.nhs.uk.
Prescription Collections
Please allow at least 24 hours, based on 3pm, before collection for your
regular repeated items.
For example:
If you order anytime on Friday – collection should be after 3pm on
Monday.
If you order anytime on Saturday, Sunday or Monday – collection should
be after 3pm on Tuesday.
If you order a new item or make a change to your order– please allow 48
hours from 3pm.
If you have asked a pharmacy to collect your prescription from the
practice they will need additional time to dispense your order –
typically 72 hours.
Choose and Book
This is an initiative by the NHS to allow patients to be more involved
in taking decisions and making choices about their healthcare. If a
doctor refers you for secondary care, you will be informed of your
choice of hospital/healthcare provider. Choose and Book will enable
patients to choose a convenient place, date and time for their initial
hospital appointment.
Carers
The practice would like to know if you are a carer, especially those
people who, whatever their age, may be caring without help or support.
Carers are often “hidden” looking after a family member or helping a
friend or neighbour with day to day tasks and may not see themselves as
a carer.
Caring for someone is an important and valuable role in the community,
which is often a 24-hour job that can be very demanding and isolating
for the carer. Carers should receive appropriate support by way of
access to accurate information on a range of topics such as entitlement
to benefits and respite care and not least, a listening ear when things
get too much.
As a Carer, you are also entitled to have your needs assessed by Social
Services. A Carer’s Assessment is a chance to talk about your needs as
a carer and the possible ways help could be given. It also looks at the
needs of the person you care for. There is no charge for an assessment.
Research Practice
This means we may use information you give us to research into clinical
conditions. Our research is anonymous and does not reveal personal
information about our patients, but if you do not wish medical data you
provide to be used in research for the benefit of others please inform
the practice manager.
Computer Records
The practice records the majority of the information it obtains about
patients in a computerised record. The system used by the practice is
part of the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT). Access to patient
identifiable information is strictly controlled by local and national
confidentiality controls. Access is only allowed to people directly
involved in their care.
The practice takes confidentiality very seriously and maintains strict
controls over access to information. Please contact the Practice
Manager if you have any concerns over the management of your
confidential information
Access to your Medical Record
All patients have the right to see what is kept on their medical
record. If you want to view your record, please make a request with the
receptionist. You are also entitled to receive a copy of the information
you have seen, please note that a small charge may be made for the
administration and time involved. Should your doctor decide that seeing
your records might put your health at risk, you may only be shown part
of your records or your request may be declined.
Sharing your Medical Record
In some instances, you may be receiving care from other people as well
as the NHS. We may need to share some information about you with them,
so that we can all work together for your benefit. Anyone who receives
confidential information about you from us is under a legal duty of
confidence. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example,
when the health or safety of others is at risk, we will not disclose
your information to third parties without your permission. In certain
circumstances we are required by law to report information; however our
guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strict
confidence.
We will only give your relatives, friends and carers information if you
want us to. You may ask us to share your health record with agencies
e.g. solicitors, insurance companies, we will only do this with your
written consent, and you may ask to view this information before it is
provided.
Confidentiality for the under 16’s
Teenagers are entitled to the same confidentiality as adults; this
includes children over thirteen years of age providing the doctor or
nurse feels they are capable of making decisions about their own
health. All practice staff including receptionists following strict
guidelines to ensure patient confidentiality.
Patients over thirteen are entitled to visit any doctor that is willing
to provide contraceptive services without having to register with that
practice.
Complaints, Compliments & Suggestions
Should you wish to make a complaint then please ask to speak to our
practice manager, Mrs Christine Thorpe. She will record your complaint
in writing and ensure that it is fully investigated. If you would like
a copy of the complaint procedure please ask at the desk. If you are
unable to resolve your complaint through the practice complaint
procedures, you may contact the complaints team at Lincolnshire Primary
Care Trust.
Patient Satisfaction Report
An annual Patient Satisfaction Survey called IPQ – Improving Practice
Questionnaire, is undertaken. The patients complete the questionnaire
whilst in the practice anonymously and seal them in an envelope which
are sent directly to CFEP UK. The results of these surveys are then sent
to the practice and a comparison is made with previous years and with
other medical practices nationally. This information is shared with the
Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and our patients. A copy of the latest
report is available for patients in the waiting room.
Patient Responsibility /Obligations
We aim to maintain a high standard of care and with over 9000 patients
registered at the practice it is necessary for all patients to work with
us.
You should always notify the surgery should you need to cancel or
re-arrange your appointment as soon as you are aware you can not attend
to allow re-booking for our other patients. If a doctor or nurse has
asked you to return for another appointment or to be reviewed it is
important that you make a new appointment and remember to attend.
Remember an appointment is for one person only.
Wherever possible patients are expected to attend the surgery and turn
up for their appointment.
We expect patients to extend to staff the same courtesy that is given to
them.
Violence and Aggression
The Partners at the Birchwood Medical Practice re-affirm their
commitment to do everything possible to protect staff, patients and
visitors from unacceptable behaviour and their zero tolerance of any
incident that causes hurt, alarm damage or distress.
Appropriate action will be taken by the practice which may involve
removal from the practice list and/or involvement of the police.
Removal from the practice
When you move out of our practice area you need to register with a more
local practice. This ensures that you have cover in case a home visit
is required. If you do not register elsewhere we will write to you and
inform you that you need to re register. If you still do not register
with a local GP you will be removed from our list and could find
yourself without a GP.
Useful Contacts:
Christine Thorpe Practice
Manager
Telephone 01522 699999
Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust
Telephone 01522 513355
NHS Complaints & Practitioner
Performance Manager Telephone 01522 515319
The practice philosophy
We believe in a National Health Service in which we, your family
doctors, nurses and staff, play the key role in caring for the well
being of the individual and the community
We value our patients’ dignity as people - their consultations will be
in comfortable, friendly and private surroundings.
We value our patients’ time - they will not have to wait long before we
answer the telephone, nor to get an appointment with their doctor. When
they keep their appointment we will try not to keep them waiting long
before they see the doctor. If we can save them a journey to the doctor
we will.
We value quality in the consulting room - one of the most valuable
things your doctors have to offer is their time. We will offer longer
than average consultations to our patients.
We value our staff - we have selected only the best and we know that
when our staff feel happy and valued they give the best service to our
patients