Updated 11 June 2018
The provider, Merchiston Surgery, delivers all regulated activities from its sole location at:
Merchiston Surgery
Highworth Road
Stratton St Margaret
Swindon
SN3 4BF
Tel: 01793 823307
Website: www.merchistonsurgery.co.uk/
Merchiston Surgery is located in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is one of 25 practices serving the NHS Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. The practice has occupied its current, purpose-built premises since the 1990s, and is arranged over two floors. All patient services including nurse treatment and GP consulting rooms are located on the ground and first floors.
The practice has around 14,000 registered patients from an area surrounding the practice and Swindon town centre. The practice age distribution is broadly in line with the national average, with most patients being of working age or older. Merchiston Surgery has started the process of merging with six other NHS GP practices locally, to become the Wyvern Health Partnership. The aim of the merger is to develop services, share best practice and collaborate on health initiatives.
Merchiston Surgery is a training facility for clinical staff and currently accommodates two GP registrars (GP registrars are on a three year GP registration course, which includes an attachment to a practice under a supervising qualified GP).
The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract to deliver health care services. GMS contracts are negotiated between NHS England and general practices for delivering medical services and are the most common form of GP contract.
Merchiston Surgery provides the following regulated activities:
- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
- Diagnostic and screening procedures
- Family planning
- Maternity and midwifery services
There are seven GP partners (five female, two male), and one salaried GP (male). The wider clinical team consists of five nurses, three Health Care Assistants (HCAs) and a clinical pharmacist. The practice also employs a paramedic practitioner (paramedic practitioners generally work alongside and support community health care and GPs, delivering treatment to patients often with long–term conditions). The practice manager, who is also a partner, is concerned with the day-to-day running of the practice, along with an operations manager. The practice team is completed by administrative, secretarial and reception staff.
95% of the practice population describes itself as white, and around 5% as having a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. A measure of deprivation in the local area recorded a score of 8, on a scale of 1-10. A higher score indicates a less deprived area. (Note that the circumstances and lifestyles of the people living in an area affect its deprivation score. Not everyone living in a deprived area is deprived and not all deprived people live in deprived areas).
Merchiston Surgery is open from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and the practice will take calls during these times. Routine GP appointments are generally available from 8.30am to 11am and 2pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday. The practice provides (pre-booked only) extended hours morning appointments from 7am to 8am on Monday and Friday, and extended hours evening appointments from 6.30pm to 7.30pm on Monday and Tuesday, with a GP and nurse. All extended hours appointments can be pre-booked up to eight weeks in advance.
The practice has opted out of providing Out-Of-Hours services to its own patients. Outside of normal practice hours, patients can access the NHS 111 service, and an Out-Of-Hours GP is available at Swindon Walk-In Centre. Information about the Out-Of-Hours service was available on the practice website, on the front door, in the patient registration pack, and as an answerphone message.