Blackdown Practice Information

Teaching Practice
The practice is a teaching practice and occasionally trainee GPs and medical students may, as part of their training, be required to sit in with their trainer GP during consultations with patients.  

You will always be asked if you consent to this prior to your consultation. If you do not consent, the trainee GP or medical student will not sit in on your consultation. 

How to Register at the Practice

The quickest way to register at the practice is to use the practice website. You must live within the practice area which is shown on the website. If you are unable to use the website, please contact the practice for information about how to register. 

Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities

When registering, you have a right to express a preference to be seen by a particular GP.  This will be recorded on our clinical system and, where possible, you will be allocated appointments with that clinician.  All patients will be assigned an accountable GP. 

You will also be offered a health check when you join the practice for the first time (see the practice website for a full list of your rights and responsibilities). 

Services we Provide

Along with routine appointments, the practice offers the following services:

• Family planning – All our GPs and the practice nurse offer a full range of family planning services
• Immunisations – The nursing team administers vaccines for both adult and child immunisations. We hold set vaccination clinics, which will be communicated to patients when these clinics are available. If you are unable to attend these clinics, please discuss with a member of our administrative staff.
• Minor surgery – Your GP will advise on minor operations
• Cervical smear testing – For women aged 25 – 65. These tests are undertaken by the nursing team.
• Well-Man and Well-Women clinics – Nurse-led, these clinics are aimed at encouraging a healthy lifestyle for our male and female population.
• Chronic disease management – We hold a range of clinics to help our patients to manage their long-term medical problems including asthma, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and heart disease. 
• Other services – Health checks for adult patients aged 16 to 74 years and 75 years and over are available especially for those who have not seen a clinician at this practice. Details are available from reception and on the practice website.  

As well as this, we offer the following clinics and checks: antenatal, baby, post-natal, smoking cessation, counselling for drug and alcohol addiction 

From time to time, other services may be available such as raising awareness of a particular disease or condition. We will advertise this information on our website and within the practice.  

The Practice Team

This practice operates under a PMS partnership agreement and provide services on behalf of the NHS.

Partners

Dr Amanda Leach MB BS chB MRCG DRGOG
Dr Stuart Murray MB ChB MRCGP DRCOG
Dr Greg Barnes BSc MBBS MRCS MRCGP DOHNS DFFP
Dr Susanna Spicer MBChB MRCGP
Dr Catherine Sherwin MbChB MRCGP DFSRH DRCOG
Dr Tom Winter MA MBBCH DRCOG
Dr Natalie Lister BM DRCOG DFFP MRCGP (2002)

Nurses

Sue Copp (Nurse Practitioner)
Sarah Olive
Caroline Hughes
Lucy Leaney
Claire Crabb

Other Healthcare Staff

Health Care Assistants:

Emma Mullenger
Jackie Fleming
Caroline Gooding

Appointments and Accessing Practice Services 

To make an appointment to see your GP or any member of our healthcare staff or to access any other of our practice services, please log on to the practice website at www.theblackdownpractice.nhs.uk

Should you be unable to access the website, please ring 01823 680 206 and a member of our administrative staff will be able to assist you.

The practice website contains all the relevant practice information that you are likely to require.  It is the quickest way to access the services you may need. 

Threats of Violence or Abuse of Staff

Our staff work hard to provide you with the best possible service. Please treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve. We operate a zero-tolerance policy and may refuse to provide services to individuals or those accompanying individuals who are violent, threaten violence, commit or threaten to commit a criminal offence

Patient Participation Group

We have an active Patient Participation Group (PPG), ensuring that our patients are involved in decisions about the services provided by the practice. Due to Covid, our PPG has not been active since 2019. We are currently re-activating the group with the PPG Chair. If you would like to know further information or join the group, then please visit the practice website.

Patient Data

All clinical and administrative staff have an ethical as well as a legal duty to protect patient information from unauthorised disclosure and in accordance with UK GDPR. The patient privacy notice is available on the practice website.

NHS England Contact

The Blackdown Practice provides NHS services on behalf of NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT.

 Telephone: 0300 311 2233
Email:  england.contactus@nhs.net

We also offer the following clinics and checks: antenatal, baby, post-natal, smoking cessation, counselling for drug and alcohol addiction 

From time to time, other services may be available such as raising awareness of a particular disease or condition. We will advertise this information on our website and within the practice.  

Prescriptions and Repeat Prescriptions

Your GP will initiate any prescription that they determine you require. Repeat prescriptions can be ordered in the following ways:

• In person – In writing or ticking the required medications on your prescription and placing it in the dedicated box, located outside the dispensary.
• Online – Please log in and order via our website.

Please allow 10 days for collection (excluding weekends and bank holidays) when ordering repeat prescriptions.  

Dispensing practice 

The practice is a dispensing practice and can issue prescriptions as outlined above if you meet the requirements to be registered as a dispensing patient.  

Details are available from reception and on the practice website.

Comments, Suggestions and Complaints

If you would like more information about any of the services we provide, please ask a member of staff, telephone or log into the practice website. Details are shown on the front of this leaflet.

Our aim is to give the highest possible standard of service. We would like you to tell us what you think about the service we

Home Visits

Home visits are at the discretion of the GPs and are usually for those patients who are housebound or have significant health issues. Should you require a home visit, please contact reception requesting a call-back after logging a call. A clinician will then telephone you to discuss your request.  

Home visits are usually carried out between 13.00 and 14.00, Monday to Friday.  

When we are Closed

When the practice is closed, if you urgently need medical help or advice and it is life threatening, dial 999.  If it is not life-threatening, contact NHS 111 by calling 111 or accessing via www.nhs.uk