The Beckington Family Practice
At Beckington, Freshford and Fromefield
Dr Kathy Gibbs Dr Henk Bruggers
Main Surgery:
St Luke’s Surgery, Beckington, Frome BA11 6SE
Telephone:
Enquiries and Emergencies: 01373 830316
Appointments: 01373 830006
Fax: 01373 831261
District Nurses: 01373 831057
Health Visitors: 01373 831058
Out of Hours: 0845 408 8000
Branch Surgeries:
Freshford Surgery, Freshford, Bath BA2 7TT
Telephone: Appointments and Enquiries 01225 722356
Fromefield Surgery, 8 Bath Road, Frome BA11 2HD
Telephone: Appointments and Enquiries 01373 464731
About Us
The Partners
Dr Judith Brooks, Senior Partner
Dr Brian Mansfield
Dr John Beaven
Dr Kathy Gibbs
Dr Henk Bruggers
All partners offer general medical services, contraceptive services, maternity medical services,
minor surgery and child health surveillance.
They all have access to GP beds in Frome Victoria Hospital.
The partners are assisted on a part-time basis by
Dr Vicky Stephenson
The practice covers a largely rural area of about 100 square miles to the north of Frome, extending over the borders into Banes and Wiltshire. We have three surgeries, the main one sited centrally at Beckington, with one to the north at Freshford and one to the south on the outskirts of Frome.
Serving a list of just over 8,300 we allow patients to see the doctor of their choice, regardless of which doctor is their registered GP. Out of hours emergency cover (6.30 pm to 8.00 am and weekends) is provided through the Somerset Primary Care Trust which can be contacted by telephoning 0845 408 8000.
Beckington Family Practice is a training practice, and we assist in the training of medical students and new GPs. The receptionist will tell you if a trainer or trainee may be sitting in on your consultation, and you are free decide whether or not you wish to agree to this.
Practice Nurses
The practice nurses are available by appointment. They are able to offer a wide range of services, but are particularly concerned with preventing disease and promoting good health. They undertake procedures including cervical smear tests, blood tests, ECGs, ear syringing, injections, dressings and routine immunisations. They offer routine health checks, including those for newly registered patients, travel vaccinations, advice concerning minor ailments and injuries, and information and advice to improve your health. They also play an important part in monitoring and providing information for those with diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, or who are taking HRT. They are able to give contraceptive advice and provide follow-up.
The practice nursing team is assisted by two Nursing Technicians who are experienced in taking blood tests, ECGs, blood pressure, hearing tests and spirometry tests.
We positively encourage all smokers to give this up and have practice nurses with a special interest in this area who is available, by appointment, to give advice and support. Help is also available from all other medical and nursing staff. The NHS Quit Line is 0800 169 0 169.
Each nurse has a different role. Please make it clear to the receptionist which service you require so that you can be booked to see the appropriate nurse.
Attached Staff
Attached nursing staff from the Somerset Primary Care Trust are based at St Luke’s Surgery and can be contacted by leaving a message there for them.
The Health Visitors are qualified nurses with special training in child health, health promotion and education, enabling them to give support and advice on issues concerning housing, homelessness, benefits, disability, alcohol and drug misuse, depression, contraception and the menopause. They can be contacted directly on 01373 831058 and can arrange to see you at home or in the surgery.
The Midwives from the Frome Maternity Unit work with the doctors in providing care for all expectant mothers. In addition to running antenatal clinics, they work with the Health Visitors in helping to prepare couples for the birth and care of their baby. They supervise births in Frome Victoria Hospital and in the community and usually visit new mothers up until the baby is 10 days old.
The District Nurses attached to the practice undertake a wide variety of nursing procedures for those who are too frail or too unwell to leave their homes. These include nursing assessments, dressings, injections and immunisations, blood tests and catheter care, as well as health promotion. They play an important role in the care of those with a terminal illness, liaising with carers, doctors and Macmillan Nurses. Arrangements for a District Nurse to visit are usually made through your doctor or by the hospital following discharge. They can be contacted directly on 01373 831057.
Support Staff
The Practice Manager is responsible for the general management and the day to day running of the practice, and will be able to help with any administrative and non-medical matters. The Practice Manager is always available to discuss suggestions or receive complaints.
Also here to help you are:
Receptionists
Medical Secretaries
Dispensers
Computer Operators
Administration Assistants
Surgery Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 8.30 am-1.00 pm and 2.00-6.30 pm
Closed Weekends and Bank Holidays
Out of Hours: 0845 408 8000
| St. Luke’s | Freshford | Fromefield | |
| Monday | 08.30-13.00 14.00-18.30 | 08.30-12.30 Closed pm | 08.30-12.30 14.30-18.30 |
| Tuesday | 08.30-13.00 14.00-18.30 | 08.30-12.30 Closed pm | 08.30-12.30 14.30-18.30 |
| Wednesday | 08.30-13.00 14.00-18.30 | 08.30-12.30 Closed pm | 08.30-12.30 14.30-18.30 |
| Thursday | 08.30-13.00 14.00-18.30 | 08.30-12.30 15.30-18.30 | 08.30-12.30 14.30-17.30 |
| Friday | 08.30-13.00 14.00-18.30 | 08.30-12.30 Closed pm | 08.30-12.30 14.30-15.30 |
Appointments
The Appointments Receptionist can make appointments for any consultation in any of the surgeries. Appointments can be made by telephone or in person at each of the surgeries. Appointments are normally with your usual doctor but, if he/she is unavailable, you will be offered a consultation with another doctor in the practice. Each patient should have a separate appointment.
In order to provide the best possible access, we have some appointments that may be booked in advance, and some that may only be booked on the same day. If you want a same day appointment, please phone as soon as possible after 8.30 am. If you need to see a doctor, we aim to be able to offer you an appointment within 24-48 hours.
There are village hall surgeries held in Norton St Philip (every Tuesday morning 9.00-10.00) and Rode (the first Tuesday afternoon in every month 14.00-15.00, with medication deliveries every Tuesday between 14.00-14.15).
Consultation sessions may be cancelled when a doctor is away. Please let us know if you cannot keep your appointment, as a missed appointment deprives another patient of an opportunity to see a doctor or nurse.
If you wish to speak to a doctor or nurse on the telephone, please ask the receptionist who will arrange for a doctor or nurse to ring you back at the end of their surgery.
Home Visits
If you are too unwell to attend the surgery, please request a home visit by telephoning no later than 10.30 am where possible.
Emergencies and Out-of-Hours
During normal surgery hours you should telephone 01373 830316. You will be asked for further details to enable the doctor to judge the urgency of the situation.
Out of hours, between 6.30 pm and 8.00 am and during weekends and bank holidays, telephone 0845 408 8000. Your call will be assessed by an experienced nurse who will give you the most appropriate type of help or advice. The nurse can call an ambulance, arrange access to the on-call doctor, or provide advice and information on health care matters.
For telephone advice, especially out of hours, you may telephone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
Dispensing
We are a dispensing practice. Those patients who live more than one mile from a pharmacy and who have registered as dispensing patients may have their prescriptions made up immediately after seeing the doctor at Beckington and Freshford surgeries.
Repeat Prescriptions
The practice runs a computerised repeat prescription system. To request a repeat prescription, please mark your requirements on your itemised computer slip attached to your previous prescription. This should be handed in at reception or posted to the surgery. Please allow 2 working days for all repeat prescriptions. For safety reasons, telephone requests are not accepted.
Your doctor will advise how frequently you need to have a consultation to review medication that is on repeat prescription. The next review date can be found on your repeat slip and, after this date, no further repeat prescriptions will be issued until a review has been undertaken.
Prescriptions will normally be available for collection at the surgery where they were requested, unless one of the options is marked at the top of the repeat slip. At Fromefield, circling one of the listed Frome pharmacies will enable you to later collect your medication directly from that pharmacy, but please allow an extra 1-2 days for this service.
Patient Participation Group
The Patients’ Participation Group, or PPG, exists to provide a link between the practice and the patients. For further information, please contact the Chairman of the PPG committee, Iris Jupe, on 01225 866537.
How to Register
If you wish to join the practice, please bring your medical card, completed and signed, to one of the surgeries. If you have lost your card, alternative forms are available from Reception. In this practice you may choose to consult any of the partners and not just the doctor with whom you are registered.
Temporary Residents
If you are temporarily living in the area (for up to three months), you can apply to register as a Temporary Resident. You will then be entitled to our full range of medical services.
Overseas Visitors
If you are a visitor to this country and need primary care medical treatment, you can make an appointment at the surgery as a temporary resident. Patients from EEC countries are entitled to free treatment, as are patients from non-EEC countries which are approved for reciprocal treatment. Patients from other countries will have to pay a private fee for the GP consultation and any medication that is prescribed. Further information can be obtained from the government website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_064150