Welcome to Bridge Street Surgery.
Carlsberg don't do doctoring - but if they did it would 'Probably' be like Bridge Street Surgery.
In a recent survey 91% of patients said they would recommend us to a friend compared with the PCT average of 82%. See the nhs choices website
www.nhs.uk for more details and to compare us with neighbouring practices. If you 'like' us - please leave a comment.
At this practice you can book appointments in advance. You can also book same day appointments without having to go through a triage nurse. You can also just turn up (if your problem is urgent) to open access surgery every weekday mornings 9-10.30 and you will be seen (bring a book!). You can talk to a GP on the phone, ideally by booking an appointment so we ring you at a prearranged time. (Satisfaction with our telephone access is 94% compared with 70% for the PCT overall). You can see a doctor outside normal working hours as we do extended hours on Monday and Tuesday evenings. You can also see your doctors at weekends as we do shifts for the out of hours cooperative. You can also see the same doctor for regular care of long term conditions, partly because we do not have trainee GP's. You will always see a fully qualified GP for a new problem - because we do not employ nurse practitioners.
Why? This is because we are a fairly small practice that has been established for a long time, and has a long tradition of mutual respect between doctors and patients. We are big enough to have a variety of skills and special interests, but small enough to know most of our patients, and our patients families. We have a fewer patients per GP than most practices, because we want to do a good job that satisfies us and this usually satisfies our patients. We do NOT see 'drug reps' ie pharmaceutical company salesmen, and we prescribe less medication than most practices. We have 2 male and 3 female GP's which is about the same split as our patient demand. We are happy to be old fashioned, but we are quick to use new technology if it helps us and our patients. For example - making appointments and requesting prescriptions online is much better than by phone. Online access works really well (most of the time) and is still not offered by most GP's.
At this practice your records can not be seen by doctors and staff at other practices in the area. All the doctors have their own 'special interests', which means that we can provide a lot of services such as coils and minor operations that other practices have to refer patients for. Our building is old and a bit inconvenient, but it is beautiful and has character. Practices like ours are becoming rarer, as doctors are moved into big purpose built white elephants.
Climate change will probably not affect middle aged doctors and office staff too badly, but it will be a big problem during our children's lifetime and an enormous problem during our grandchildren's. The NHS is a massive carbon dioxide emitter. Please try to minimise your carbon emissions, by asking if you really need to travel to the surgery or outpatients. Where it is reasonable please use our new telephone appointment service, and if you do need to come to the surgery consider walking or cycling.
News
Building work- Mr Good!
Colin Good is doing some repairs to the building - there may be some mess and noise and certainly less parking space - but we will try to avoid disruption where we can.
Dr Grant is retiring- help!!
Dr Bridget Grant has decided to retire from being a GP as from October. She has been absolutely brilliant for as long as we can all remember, notably because she has always been endlessly patient, both with all the patients the other doctors cannot cope with, and with the other doctors. We are going to miss her very severely, and are struggling to find a replacement.
Crisis in the NHS- fact and fiction
It is true that the NHS is facing severe long term pressures, in that there are more old and therefore sick people, and more that can be done, and the money is not increasing to match demand. More people are attending A&E, although the figures now include walk in centres which is surely wrong. It is not surprising as people have been led to expect a 24/7 service by successive governments. However, amid all the blame game coming from the media and rather surprisingly from the government, lets not lose sight of the facts that death rates are going down steadily and quite quickly, and lots of things are actually getting better. Unfortunately, the freedom of a doctor and patient to decide together how to deal with a problem is more and more being interfered with by managers and targets. Lots of GP's are packing it in, and the rest are a bit stressed. If you spot your doctor checking the computer when he should be paying attention to you, please tell him off, but nicely. If you like us are allergic to the Daily Mail sensible discussion see www.changingnhs.com
Dr John WIllis RIP Aged 87 of a stroke.
Dr Willis moved to Brigg with his wife Moreen in 1953 and took over a failing practice in Bridge Street from Dr King who was in poor health. They built up the practice over the next 35 years - extending the original premises, and introducing lots of new fangled things like secretaries, typewriters, acupuncture, and even computers. He was famous for writing witty poems, and also for taking an interest in and 'bringing on' young people. Broughton Church was packed for his funeral. He will be much missed.
Big change in our IT in September- delayed again!
The change that we have been hoping for but also dreading for the last year or so is getting closer! We will be changing from our tried and tested EMIS LV software, which is a pre windows system run mainly through a keyboard, to EMIS web which is a mouse driven software which can do quite a lot of things better and is much better future proofed. However - the change will be tough for all of us so please be patient!
Calcium is out of favour!
For most patients on normal diets - we no longer recommend Calcium tablets! They are not necessary for bone strength, and may possibly be bad for our arteries. On the other hand - we need to keep up our Vitamin D intake. Patients on combined tablets will gradually be switching to pure Vitamin D, without the calcium.
Change in methods of diagnosing Diabetes, no more need for tiresome Glucose Tolerance Testing.
We are thrilled that Nice have now moved to using a new testing protocol which saves us from doing this elaborate procedure which patients and staff found very tricky to arrange. There is also a new category of borderline diabetes which is more logically called Pre-Diabetes rather than the old "Impaired Glucose Tolerance' - at last a change that makes life a bit easier!
Independent panel finds in our favour and against North Lincs PCT!
PCT managers refused part of our 'Quality Payment' on the grounds that we have been using Synvisc injections for arthritis of the knee. The Appeal panel reversed this decision, so we did get paid! Staff bonuses were under threat, so there was a sigh of relief!
The end of an Era. Dr Val aka Valerie Cowan has left.
She started work at Bridge Street in 1988, and despite having young children, worked tirelessly from the word go. She reacted perhaps to a conventional upbringing in Ulster by developing a very lively and outgoing personality, which tends to be impatient with some conventions. After 23 years, her energy and enthusiasm is undiminished, and she is still constantly interested in picking up new ideas. She keeps up her interest in a huge variety of areas of medicine, both conventional and alternative, and has a loyal following of patients who swear by her skills. She is leaving North Lincolnshire for greener pastures and will be very much missed.
New Doctor appointed!!!
Dr Claire Chambers (nicknamed Imelda - ask her why!) has joined us. She is working 4 days a week - replacing Dr Cowan. She has been working in Barton for the last 5 years where she has earned rave reviews, from staff and patients. The other (i.e. older)doctors are bracing themselves to cope with all the new ideas she will be bringing with her!
Practice Nurse Shelly Ibbotson has been awarded first class in her Diabetes Nursing degree. Any comparisons with the degrees awarded to the doctors in the practice are banned! She has also just done the Great North Run!
Barbara Hardaker has passed her NVQ2 in Dispensing, and is therefore now a fully qualified Dispensing Assistant. Congratulations.
Broughton is now all appointments
In response to a lot of demand for appointments at Broughton we tried a 'mixed economy' with 2days of appointments and 2 days of open access surgeries. This was not a great success. We have therefore gone 'all appointment' at Broughton. Some 'slots' will be reserved for short notice bookings so that it will still be possible to come to Broughton surgery with a child who has woken up with earache for example. Friday surgery at Broughton will be continue to be in the morning.
NHS 111 - a single number for non emergency medical advice
This service is now live in our area, although, to quote the health minister Lord Howe, it is getting off to ' a very disappointing start' ! It is a nice simple number to remember which is good. Your call will be dealt with by someone with no medical training, using a computer programme. You will be directed either to A&E, the GP out of hours service, or to see us in normal working hours. Fortunately, the attempts to put the local GP out of hours service out to tender have so far failed, and we still have a pretty good service. The 'old' doctors in the practice still do shifts at weekends - so we know it's ok.
Obviously in a medical emergency call 999. Between 8 and 6.30 on weekdays you can call us, or make an appointment. We are after all trained, experienced, and have your medical records!
Low dose aspirin is back on the recommended list for prevention!
Randomised trials have proved that low dose dispersible aspirin 75 mg daily is an effective means of preventing several forms of cancer. It is now recommended that most people should take this dose daily for at least 5 years from age 55.
Vitamin D deficiency is very common, and it matters.
In summer we need at least 30minutes every other day of midday sun on our faces and bare arms to get enough Vitamin D. Sunscreen blocks Vitamin D production completely. In winter we use up our stores. It is found in fish, but not enough to make much difference. Deficiency leads to all sorts of problems - muscular pains and weakness, and possibly Diabetes and Cancer. It is now recommended that unless you are a real outdoor freak, you buy supplements. 10mcg =400u daily for children and young adults, 25mcg or 1000u for over 65's and possibly 2000u for housebound elderly.
Online appointments and repeat prescriptions.
You can now request repeat medication and make appointments via the internet 24/7. Please register at reception as it is so much better than phoning. Do you still book holidays or train tickets on the phone?
Cancer screening review
Despite the views of Cancer charities, a lot of experts are now questioning the value of Breast screening, and a recent study has shown no effect on Breast Cancer deaths.
Repeat Prescriptions
Do you need to re-order your medication? Visit our prescriptions page and complete the online form. Find out more
Like To Register?
New to the area and would like to join our practice? We would be happy to help you. Fill in our registration forms and come see us. Find out more
Disabled Facilities
Both surgeries have access for wheelchairs, toilet facilities and car parking spaces for patients. At the Brigg surgery patients are welcome to park in our rear car park and use the back door, which is operated by a buzzer system at the right hand side of the door.
(Site updated 17/06/2013)