Updated 16 May 2018
The provider, North Swindon Practice, delivers all regulated activities from:
North Swindon Practice
Home Ground Surgery
Thames Avenue
Haydon Wick
Swindon
SN25 1QQ
Tel: 01793 705783
Website: www.homegroundsurgery.nhs.uk
North Swindon Practice 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 facility since 1991, and is arranged over two floors. All patient services are located on the ground floor. There are nurse treatment and GP consulting rooms, along with a room for minor operations. The practice building has been extended a number of times, with the most recent extension due to be completed in August 2018.
The practice has around 14,812 registered patients from an area surrounding the practice and town centre. The practice age distribution is broadly in line with the national average, with most patients being of working age or older.
North Swindon Practice is a training facility for GPs and currently has an ST3 (in the first year of speciality training) at the practice.
The practice has a Primary Medical Services (PMS) contract to deliver health care services. A PMS contract is a locally agreed alternative to the standard General Medical Services contract (used when services are agreed locally with a practice), and may include additional services beyond the standard contract.
There are five GP partners (three male, two female) and one salaried GP (male). The nursing team comprises three practice nurses, three advanced nurse practitioners and two nurse specialists (nurse specialists diagnose and advise on health conditions in their area of expertise, for instance diabetes or cancer), and is completed by three Health Care Assistants (HCAs). There are three practice managers with distinct areas of responsibility, such as finance, and patient services. A practice manager is also the registered manager and practice business partner. In addition to the practice management team there are 18 administrative and reception staff who support the day-to-day running of the practice.
93% of the practice population describes itself as white, and around 7% 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).
North Swindon Practice is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the practice will take calls during these times. Routine GP appointments are generally available from 8am to 12pm and from 1pm to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The practice provides (pre-booked only) extended hours evening appointments from 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday and Thursday, with a GP and nurse, or HCA. All extended hours appointments can be pre-booked up to four 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. The practice was able to offer dispensing services to those patients on the practice list who lived more than one mile (1.6km) from their nearest pharmacy.