Dorset Surgery Scoops Disability Care Award 2010
Staff from Stour Surgery in Dorset have received a prestigious award from the Royal College of General Practitioners and Leonard Cheshire Disability for excellence in caring for patients with a disability.
Based in Christchurch, Stour Surgery has won the award for not only providing an outstanding service for patients who are disabled, but also for their carers. The practice has a Carers’ Group and works hard to identify and address their needs. The practice’s Vulnerable Patient Liaison team also ensures that its more vulnerable patients and their carers are supported in their own homes by working closely with other agencies in the community.
“We work towards the ethos that our surgery is part of our community and we are always looking for ways to improve services for our patients, and make ourselves easily accessible using the Stour Access system,” said Dr Simon Coupe, a GP partner at the Practice. “At Stour Surgery we try to ensure that the care we provide for patients who are disabled and their carers doesn’t just make their lives bearable, but helps to make it a bit more enjoyable”.
GP practices are nominated for the Disability Care Award by their patients and are invited to demonstrate evidence in the delivery of care to disabled people. The adjudicators are particularly interested in those surgeries that ‘go the extra mile’ and go beyond their legal obligations to make their service not only accessible but inclusive.
Dr Nigel Sparrow, said “The adjudicators felt the Stour Surgery had various well-organised services within the practice. They praised the approach to team training which includes a wide range of ‘hot-topic’ sessions on a quarterly basis. These include top ten tips for consultations with patients with a learning disability, national guidance updates and examples of best practice. There is good support and awareness for the needs of carers and the pressures on them including offering an extended appointment service and a well designed practice booklet.”
Jan Childs, Practice Manager, said: “Looking after our more vulnerable patients and ensuring they have a better quality of life is very important to us and we really strive to stay on top of the needs of patients who are disabled, including of course those patients with a sensory loss, those with specific learning difficulties and patients with long term conditions. One way we do this is to ensure support for patients in their own homes and support for their carers, as well as addressing patients’ clinical needs ”.
The award is made to encourage excellence of care to disabled people in general practice. It is given to an individual or team in recognition of innovative or significant developments in the organisation, accessibility or delivery of care to disabled people. The College is grateful to the Leonard Cheshire Disability for sponsoring the award.
The Stour Surgery was presented with their award at a special ceremony in London on Friday 14 May. 2010.