About the Ribble Valley
 The Ribble Valley is an attractive part of North West England which adjoins
the Trough of Bowland, within easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District
National Parks. Road and rail links now provide fast access to the major motorway
and main line networks to all parts of the country.
The practice is part of The East Lancashire
Primary Care Trust.
The two major population
groups are centered in and around the towns of Clitheroe and
Longridge, with a further group centered around Whalley. General
Practitioner services are centered in these three towns, together
with a small centre in the village of Slaidburn.
The Ribble Valley is a mainly rural area, with many attractive but isolated
villages making up the remaining population. The Ribble Valley is an attractive
destination for holiday-makers, and with an abundance of beautiful countryside,
attractive villages and low levels of unemployment, is viewed as a wealthy and
healthy part of East Lancashire.
The practice is based in the market
town of Clitheroe, with over 20,000 people living in and around
the town itself. The history of Clitheroe dates back over
800 years, and the town itself features the remains of one
of the two smallest Norman keeps in Britain, standing prominently
in the center of town.
 Clitheroe, like other towns in Lancashire, developed a textile industry in
the Industrial Revolution, but remained predominantly a rural market town. The
mills have now all-but disappeared, and employment is focused around light engineering
and cement manufacture. Unemployment levels are low, with a considerable commuter population
living in the locality.
Clitheroe and surrounding area is an attractive place to live, with excellent
local amenities. The local schools are a major draw to the area,
and include Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and Ribblesdale Technology College.
There is a wide
variety of housing to both buy and rent in the Clitheroe and
surrounding area, including several new housing developments
built within the last 5 - 10years. Older properties are also
available, of course. There are many attractive and well-maintained
terraced properties within the town, and many of the villages
contain converted properties of character.
Clitheroe has its own sports center
and swimming pool at Roefield. There are also the usual squash,
tennis, and cricket facilities within the town not to mention
2 Private Health Clubs.
The town contains all the usual variety of shops, but includes a number of family-run specialist
shops that have received regional and national accolades: Byrne's Wine Shop has
won several awards, and is famous for its wines and whiskeys (with a very interesting
cellar!); Cowman's Sausage Shop is famous for...well,
that's obvious!
The Practice Area
The practice area covers a large part of the Ribble Valley, including the
town of Clitheroe itself. The area extends from Clitheroe northward to the parish
of Bolton-By-Bowland, eastward to Rimington, westward to Chaigley and southward
to parts of Billington.
Villages within the practice area include: Bashall Eaves, Bolton-By-Bowland,
Chaigley, Chatburn, Downham, Gisburn, Grindleton, Hurst Green, Mearley, Mitton,
Pendleton, Rimington, Sawley, Twiston, Waddington, West Bradford, Wiswell and
Worston.
Population Characteristics
- The area has an increasingly ageing population, which continues to
grow at a rate above the county and national average.
- There is a significant farming community, which in many cases, is
suffering more than most from economic difficulties, together with the social
and psychological problems associated with rural isolation.
- Many housing developments are attracting new residents to the area, putting
increasing pressure on local services such as schools, health
centers, transport etc.
- Non-white ethnic groups in the Ribble Valley make up only 1% of the
total district population.
- The large number of households are owner-occupied, with very little
local authority housing.
About the Practice
The Castle Medical Group is a GMS
practice and was formed on 1 April 2000 as a result of a merger
between the Railway View and Castle Medical Practices, both
based in Clitheroe Health Center since 1975.
We are a semi-rural
practice, with a list size currently of 14,700 patients.
We do not have a mission statement
as such, however, we do have a "Practice Philosophy"
(see below) which staff are encouraged to follow
THE
CASTLE MEDICAL GROUP
PRACTICE
TEAM PHILOSOPHY
The staff of the Castle
Medical Group will respect the values of their fellow colleagues,
and understand the responsibilities of individuals in a non-judgemental,
fair and tolerant manner.
This will bring about
an open, honest and caring environment in which to work, and
will develop an enthusiasm and willingness to help nurture
team and practice objectives to the benefit of all concerned.
A
happy team provides a high quality standard of care.
W are committed
to providing high quality continuing care within the community.
We aim to provide a wide range of high quality NHS services,
but also to provide private medical services to our local
population. Partners have been encouraged to develop their
clinical interests into a wide range of patient services,
which now form part of our service portfolio.
The partnership
at present comprises of six full-time, one 2/3rds time and
two half-time partners. We also employ three salaried doctors
who work for a total of 13 sessions per week:
- Dr Anne Huson MBChB FRCGP DRCOG
- Dr Sheila Bailey MBChB MRCGP DRCOG
- Dr Martin Flatley MBChB MRCGP
- Dr Ron Higson MBChB MRCGP DRCOG DPD BSc
- Dr Ian Ibbotson MBChB DRCOG DFFP Doc
Med
- Dr Will Mackean MBChB MRCGP DRCOG
- Dr Gavin McBride MBChB MRCGP DRCOG
- Dr Susie Owen MBChB MRCGP DRCOG DFFP
- Dr John Saunders MBChB MRCGP DRCOG DSMSA
- Dr Susie Hutchison Salaried Doctor (5
sessions per week)
- Dr Gillian Hodgson Salaried Doctor (3
sessions per week)
- Dr Sybille Holch Salaried Doctor (4 sessions
per week)
The practice is
based in Clitheroe Health Center, and shares the accommodation
with a neighbouring practice, together with community staff.
The Health Center is owned by the local Primary Care Trust,
but both practices have now outgrown the original building
since its development in 1975. A project is currently underway
to refurbish and extend the building and facilities.
The Health Center includes an extensive
and well-equipped treatment room, staffed by the community
trust. This is a very well used facility by the local people,
and has over 38,000 patient contacts per year. The treatment
room provides a minor injury service to the local population,
as the nearest Accident and Emergency Department is over 15
miles away. There is also ECG equipment and a minor surgical
room used by the doctors from both practices.
We are also a dispensing practice,
and dispense to over 30% of our practice population from our
private dispensary within the health center
Clitheroe Health Center also provides
community services including chiropody, audiology and speech
therapy, together with a wide range of clinics. District Nurses,
Health Visitors, Midwives and School Nurses are also based
on-site, which ensures that communications between community
staff and the GP's are maximised. District Nurses and Health
Visitors are attached to the practice, and are an integral
part of the medical and nursing teams.
The practice opened a small, privately
owned annexe just down the road from the main center, providing
additional consulting and office accommodation for the practice
as it expanded during the 1990's. This has become our practice
nursing base, although doctors also hold surgeries here.
The practice is fully computerised
(EMIS) an became paperless at the end of 2005. All clinical
data is now recorded within the computer records meaning doctors
can now consult without having to use the A4 medical records.
The practice uses a computerised appointment system - surgeries contain ten
minute appointments, with an average of fourteen patients per surgery.
The Castle Medical
Group is a long established training practice. Dr John Saunders
has been training registrars for 13years - several previous
registrars still work in the practice as partners or assistants.
Dr Will Mackean is also a qualified GP trainer and has recently
started working with Foundation Year 2 doctors. Dr Gavin
McBride is out third trainer, and has experience of working
with Medical Students, and recently commenced training with
his second GP Registrar.
A Community Hospital is located in Clitheroe, which provides a wide range
of services to the local population, staffed by GP's from Clitheroe, Whalley
and Slaidburn.
Facilities at the
hospital have developed considerably over the last 10 years
- 42 inpatient beds are actively in use, in the majority by
the Ribble Valley practices, and there are a small number
of intermediate beds being used by patients from outside the
Ribble Valley. The hospital also has an outpatient department
staffed from Blackburn Acute Hospitals, together with an x-ray
department.
The Community Hospital
is used for the GP Out of Hours services, which cover the
north and eastern parts of the Ribble Valley, housed in the
outpatients building attached to the hospital.
The Out of Hours
service is run by the Blackburn and District Medical Co-operative
covering a large area of the Ribble Valley. Many of
the GP's working in the Ribble Valley cover shifts for the
out of hours service as do many of the doctors from outside
the Ribble Valley such as Blackburn and Accrington.
The service is based at Royal Blackburn Hospital but there
is a building adjacent to the Outpatient Department at Clitheroe
Hospital that is used as a base for GP's who are covering
the Ribble Valley area. Accommodation is available at
this center for "on call" nights.
The nearest district general hospitals and accident and emergency facilities
are located in Blackburn and Burnley, with some patients travelling as far as
Airedale.
About Patient Services
The practice provides a full range of General Medical Services to patients,
and achieves high target payments for childhood immunisations and cervical cytology.
The practice has expanded its private medical services in recent years, which
have become a major source of income for the practice, and enabled partners to
develop their clinical interests.
The practice provides
medical services to Stonyhurst College, which is situated
just over five miles away from Clitheroe in the heart of the
Ribble Valley countryside. Dr John Saunders is the School
Doctor, supported by Dr Susie Owen, who look after both the
boarding and day pupils. The practice holds a surgery twice
a week at the college.
Stonyhurst is a public school with a strong sporting tradition. Dr Saunders
holds postgraduate qualifications in sports medicine.
The practice provides
a wide range of "enhanced services" under the new
GMS contract including a GP with a special interest in Dermatology
who provides services to local PCT's. He is Dr Ron Higson.
The practice provides
occupational medicine services to a large number of local
businesses, including Castle Cement, Johnson Mathey and 3M
Healthcare. Dr Ian Ibbotson undertakes works medicals, and
sees patients in the treatment room with works injuries.
Added to this the practice also provides anticoagulation monitoring
and blood testing for patients on Warfarin and rheumatoid
drugs (DMARDS).
About the Partners
Dr Anne
Huson - Anne is the Senior Partner, and Clinical
Lead in the practice, and a former GP Registrar in the practice.
She is the Ribble Valley representative on the Local Medical
Committee and, also does work for the East Lancashire Primary
Care Trust. Her special areas of clinical interest include
palliative care and mental health issues.
Dr Sheila Bailey
- Married to a GP in Burnley and has two children. Sheila
is a half-time partner, and also a former GP Registrar in
the practice. She has particular responsibility for communications
both within the practice and with our patients.
Dr Martin Flatley -
Married with three children, and also a former GP Registrar
in the practice. Martin has particular responsibility for
premises and legal matters. He takes responsibility for the
childhood immunisation clinics (including the baby assessments).
Dr Ron Higson
- Married to a doctor and has three children. Ron
also provides dermatology services to patients across East
Lancashire and is the practice lead on prescribing. Ron enjoys
"competing" in a number of sporting activities,
and has in the last few years enjoyed a white water rafting
trip to America and motor biking trip across the Moroccan
dessert.
Dr Ian Ibbotson
- Married with three children, and another former GP Registrar
in the practice. Ian runs the occupational medicine service,
which he has developed over recent years. He is the practice
representative in the out of hours co-operative, and represents
the practice on the Treatment Room Committee. He also chairs
the Clitheroe Heart Machine Fund.
Dr Will Mackean
- Married with three children, Will is the final former GP
Registrar in the practice. Will qualified as a trainer in
2004. He has recently taken on responsibility for Health &
Safety issues and also chairs practice meetings. His
particular area of clinical interest is in mental health and
Will is chairman of the local mental health team. Will
has a keen interest in music and plays a number of instruments.
Dr Gavin
McBride - Married to a Consultant with one child.
Gavin works two thirds time and has a particular interest
in pain management and palliative care and takes joint responsibility
for child health surveillance within the practice. He
is also the partner responsible for QOF (Quality and Outcomes
Framework), and is the practice lead for Practice Based Commissioning.
Gavin recently qualified as the third trainer in the practice.
Gavin enjoys outdoor sporting activities, particularly cycling,
running and walking, and enjoys occasionally competing in
triathlon. He also enjoys trekking and provides medical support
on foreign trips.
Dr Susie Owen -
Married with two children. Susie is a part-time partner
and is the sister-in-law of Gavin McBride. She takes
responsibility for staffing matters within the practice.
Her specialist area within the practice is Asthma and Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Dr John Saunders
- John has three children, and is the trainer in the practice.
John is currently the Business Lead in the practice.
John is School Doctor at Stonyhurst College. He is a
former member of the District Audit Team, formerly a GP Appraiser
and past Chairman of the School of Governors at Ribblesdale
High School Technology College. John also has a keen
interest in sports injury.
About the Staff
The Managing
Partner is Phil Mileham, who joined the practice
in 1991. Phil has overall responsibility for the running of
the practice and the development of the business. He manages
four teams: the medical team; the nursing team; the administration
team and the reception team. There are over twenty administration
and nursing staff employed by the practice, together with
three employed doctors.
The Practice
Manager is Chris Anderson, who joined the practice
in 1993 as a part-time receptionist. Chris is responsible
for the day to day running of the practice and Human Resources.
She manages the Reception and Administration teams and is
responsible to the Managing Partner
The Medical Team (the partners) meet every week to discuss practice issues
- each partner has special areas of responsibility, and work with Phil to develop
those areas of the business.
The Nursing
Team is managed by Trudy Howe who is the Senior Practice
and Nurse Nurse Team Leader. She works with four part-time
Practice Nurses and organises the clinical priorities of the
practice with Dr Anne Huson. The nurses are based in the annexe
but also do clinics at the Health Center and provide chronic
disease management and health promotion services.
The Administration
Team is managed by Chris Anderson, who is the Practice
Manager. She runs the secretarial and administrative services
in the practice.
The Reception Team is managed by Joan Cunliffe, who is the Senior Receptionist.
She organises the front end of the practice and is responsible for
appointment systems.
Summary
- The Castle Medical Group is a large practice which is keen to improve patient
services and provide continuity of care, but at the same time, wishes to develop
as a business - it is these two things which provide the focus for developments.
- Practice income levels are above average, with income from General Medical
Services maximised, and income from private medical services increasing.
- The partners are all between the ages of 37 and 55, so
we are quite a young practice.
- The Ribble Valley is an excellent place to live and work, and the practice
has strong relationships with other local practices and community health professionals.
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