Practice Profile Proffil yr Ymarfer
LocationPartners
Facilities - Builth Wells
Facilities - Llanwrtyd Wells
Attached Staff
Workload
Location
The
practice is situated in a rural area of Mid Wales, covering an
area of approximately 500 square miles, and serves a population
of about 7,700 people. The main surgery, in the town of Builth
Wells provides services for 6,000 patients. A second surgery 13
miles away in Llanwrtyd Wells provides for 1,500 patients. The
two towns themselves have populations of 2,400 and 1,200 people
respectively. The remaining patients live in smaller villages
and farming communities. Neighbouring practices are also centred
on small market towns such as Llandrindod Wells (8 miles), Rhayader
(15 miles), Talgarth (15 miles) and Brecon (20 miles).Builth town is on the banks of the river Wye and, although small, has a wide range of facilities including good state schools, an arts centre, an extensive range of sports facilities and the Royal Welsh Showground which hosts, among other events, the annual 4 day Royal Welsh Show.
Partners
There are five partners in the practice. All are "full time". Two partners provide most of the services in Llanwrtyd.
All partners provide the full range of general medical services, but also have areas of special interest. This includes Women’s health, Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Orthopaedics, Research and Teaching.
The practice also provides medical cover for the local community hospital situated in Builth Wells.
Facilities - Builth Wells
Purpose built, modern premises situated on the western outskirts
of town within easy walking distance of the community hospital.
The surgery is owned by the partners and subject to the notional
rent scheme. Doctors have individual consulting rooms. There are three nurse rooms and two well equipped examination/treatment rooms. A large reception area leads to a rest room and offices for attached staff including health visitors and community psychiatric nurses. To the rear of the building is the administrative area and on a lower floor a spacious conference room and library. A rolling maintenance programme ensures that the fabric of the building is maintained to a high standard.
The surgery is fully computerised using a recently upgraded “iSoft Synergy” system which is Windows XP based.
Facilities - Llanwrtyd Wells
13 miles to the west of Builth lies our purpose built branch surgery at Llanwrtyd. There are two consulting rooms, a nurses room, treatment room, staff room and chiropody suite. A dispensing pharmacy (not practice owned) is also situated in the same building.
Branch and main surgery are linked by a recently upgraded computer system (Torex Synergy), which provides a 27 user Windows NT based network across both sites. Integrated administrative functions are based on Microsoft Windows XP.
Attached Staff
The practice has a manager, Mrs Jane Stephens, who manages the practice in conjunction with the partners. There is a full range of supportive reception, office and secretarial staff. Three part time practice nurses provide services at both surgeries, including diabetes, asthma, heart disease, epilepsy, stroke, warfarin and travel clinics, as well as a general range of services. Community psychiatric nurses (CPNs),and health visitors work from both surgeries. Additionally, there is a wide range of medical and paramedical support available through the hospital.
Workload
In general, patient numbers average between 15 and 20 per surgery.
Currently, all surgeries are open access without appointments (9-10am,
4.00-6pm), although many patients with chronic conditions are seen
by appointment through nursing staff. Also individual doctors may
make arrangements to see patients with particular needs outside
of open access times. Although this system has the potential for
abuse, the vast majority of patients use it well, and this is reflected
in the low call out rate for home and out of hours visits. The doctors
try to operate a system based on personal lists but with plenty
of professional cross fertilisation!Individual doctors are involved in the provision of specialist clinics according to their own interests