Firth Park Surgery
400 Firth Park Road
Sheffield
S5 6HH
Telephone: 08451 211899
Fax: 0114 242 1966
If you would like to find out more, feel free to contact any of the trainers to arrange an informal visit to the practice. We are generally able to accommodate two or three full-time GPRs and an F2 trainee. We also train 3a and 3b medical students.
Partners
Dr J Hopkins, Dr A Godden, Dr L Sorsbie, Dr A Ferguson, Dr H Fairgrieve, Dr R Tupper, Dr R Corker. Managing partner Mr Julian Stevens.
Trainers
Dr Andy Ferguson and Dr Ruth Tupper
Training
We have been a training practice for many years, and have gradually increased our commitment to and capacity for all forms of medical education. All partners are actively involved in the training process through formal teaching and debriefs, and all practice and attached staff are committed to sharing in the GPR’s training. We are keen to ensure that GPRs have plenty of learning opportunities and are not just extra pairs of hands.
The Practice
The Practice serves an urban population of approx. 8,600, with a rapidly increasing number of Asian, Arabic, African and Balkan/Eastern European patients. Our patients, mainly of socio-economic groups 4 and 5, live predominantly in either local authority housing (some having exercised their “right to buy”) or in private terraced properties, often rented. Care for the elderly is significant with almost 20% of the list being over 65, and the practice has patients in several nursing homes in the area, with a particular focus on delivering the Care Home LES to Longley Park View. We also have an above average child population.
Whilst initially starting as a solidly working class area, Firth Park and the surrounding communities have developed considerable pockets of deprivation over the years. Unemployment rates are high, as are the numbers of single parents struggling to bring up children alone. The resulting poverty has contributed to high levels of both mental and physical illness, which are much higher than both the Sheffield and national averages. This means that our work is challenging but at the same time provides exposure to the full breadth of general practice, with consequent high levels of job satisfaction.
We have a PMS Contract, provide a variety of enhanced services (including anticoagulation, IUCD and implanon fitting and DMARD monitoring) and make an active contribution to Practice Based Commissioning.
The Partners
Dr Joanne Hopkins: interests include women’s health, paediatrics and undergraduate and F2 teaching.
Dr Andy Godden: clinical interests include hypertension, coronary heart disease and lipid management. Educational interests include GP training, CPD and medical appraisal and Revalidation
Dr Leigh Sorsbie: interests include rheumatology, care of the elderly and undergraduate teaching.
Dr Andy Ferguson: interests include general medicine, substance misuse, international health and GP training.
Dr Helen Fairgrieve: interests include women’s health, paediatrics, dermatology and undergraduate teaching.
Dr Ruth Tupper; family planning, women’s health, paediatrics and GP Training. Is also a registered trainer with the Faculty of Reproductive and Sexual Health
Dr Rob Corker; respiratory medicine and practice prescribing lead
The Primary Health Care Team
We have a strong and well motivated PHCT, though links with District Nursing and Health Visiting services have been diminished since these services ceased to be practice based. We have some surgery-based physiotherapy and counselling sessions for our patients, with midwifery services provided across the road at Sure Start. The practice nurses play a leading role in a variety of chronic disease management programmes, including DM, asthma, COPD, heart failure, CHD and hypertension. They are also trained in contraception and women’s health management. We have developed a duty doctor role which enables some triaging of calls and easier access for patients to a doctor. We have a weekly multi-disciplinary team meeting on a Monday lunch-time in which the GPRs are encouraged to take an active part.
The Premises
We operate from a single site. Originally a pair of semi’s, the surgery was gutted and largely rebuilt in 1993/4, with further extensions in recent years, and now offers excellent facilities including two treatment rooms (one equipped for minor surgery), good administrative accommodation, nine consulting rooms plus additional rooms for ancillary staff, and a common room. Training facilities are detailed below.
The Training Period
We try to offer a period of training which is geared to each individual GPR. The programme will be developed jointly to meet the GPR’s personal learning needs, with full support provided for all components of the nMRCGP. We offer a two week introductory period to get to know the practice and attached staff and to provide time to develop the educational plan.
Teaching
Protected tutorial time is available on Monday mornings and, when appropriate, this will be shared with other GPRs with similar learning needs. One-to-one time will also be available each week with your trainer. In addition, debriefs are timetabled at the end of each surgery, with all partners sharing this responsibility.
Free Time
During the week there is time available for private study or project/audit work.
Surgeries/Visits
Initially will offer 15 (second time GPR) to 20 (first time) minute appointments, reducing this to a minimum of 10 minutes as the GPR progresses, in line with GPSTP milestone guidance. Two surgeries are held each day, with coffee after morning surgery (attended by all clinicians) followed by a sharing-out of the visits.
Out of Hours
We are covered by the GP Collaborative. Some weekday evening and weekend sessions are available with two of the partners, though not all out of hours experience can be met in-house. GPR’s will ne allocated additional sessions via the collaborative.
On Call
During the attachment the GPR will, on average, be on-call for the practice one afternoon (1-6pm) per week, starting in the second month, with no Saturday morning or extended hours commitment.
Half Day
In addition to the GPSTP afternoon on a Thursday (which becomes free time if it doesn’t take place) there is a half day off on a Tuesday or Wednesday for private study.
Training Facilities
Own room for each full-time GPR, adjacent to that of the trainer.
Dedicated training room, with library.
Paper-light practice, migrated to EMIS PCS in summer 2009. All consultations and prescribing are computer based, with full electronic summaries available, PathLinks operating and all letters scanned into the system.
Practice intranet available, containing protocols, guidelines, audit record, electronic library and other web-links.
Practice video cameras available with easy to use editing facilities.
Minor surgery training.
IUD / Implanon training available.
Weekly baby clinic for Child Health Surveillance experience.