GP RECRUITMENT EVEREST HOUSE SURGERY Everest Way Hemel Hempstead Herts HP2 4HY May 2021 INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES Background Everest House Surgery is a long-established GP training practice which has been in existence since the 1950s. The practice moved into a purpose-built health centre 26 years ago following the merger of two smaller practices. The practice is located in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead. A retail pharmacy is situated adjacent to the surgery on the same site, subletting the space from the practice. Everest House Surgery is one of several large GP practices in Hemel Hempstead and enjoys good working relationships with neighbouring surgeries, and has recently joined the Danais Primary Care Network Group (five local practices). The practice is a member of the Herts Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). One of the GP partners and the practice manager attend regular Dacorum locality meetings of the CCG. The locality has set up a Federation as a local provider group to identify the needs of the population and help maximise income for the practices. Practice Philosophy The practice aims to provide patients with the healthcare they need in a friendly and effective way. The doctors run personal lists to provide good continuity of care. There is a strong emphasis on training and development, as well as team-working throughout the practice. Patients Services There are around 14,500 patients registered at the practice from a mixture of social classes. The list size is slowly increasing. The premises are open every weekday from 8.00am-6.30pm. Extended hours appointments are offered early mornings, evenings and Saturday mornings. A variety of appointments are offered, as well as a system of same day triage. The practice provides the full range of primary health services under a traditional GMS (General Medical Services) contract including antenatal and postnatal services, blood pressure monitoring, blood tests, breast clinic, cervical smears, child health, counselling, cryotherapy, diabetes, heart failure clinic, immunisations, minor surgery, joint injections, phlebotomy, respiratory care services, sexual health, smoking cessation, and travel health. The practice achieves high QOF points (Quality and Outcome Framework) and participates in most of the enhanced services. Patient feedback is good with the practice being in the top third locally. There is an active patient participation group with meets every 2-3 months. The members recently undertook a survey in the practice of patients’ satisfaction and suggestions. 2 GP Training The practice is an accredited GP training centre., In order to have qualified as a training practice and to retain this status, the practice has to maintain Deanery specified high standards. The practice also trains medical students occasionally. People in the Practice There are eight GP partners: • Dr Harold Ha (8 sessions) • Dr Matt Bunn (8 sessions) • Dr Paula Coyle (6 sessions) • Dr Alison Carr (6 sessions) • Dr Lena Quist-Therson (8 sessions) • Dr Kevin Cooper (8 sessions) • Dr Vickna Suresh (8 sessions) • Dr Eleanor Williams (8 sessions) The partners have different areas of clinical interest and each takes responsibility for different areas of business management. Dr Bunn is currently the executive partner and meets weekly with the practice manager to discuss the running of the practice. We also have one Salaried GP – Dr Jean Bunker (5 sessions) Staff The nursing team in the practice includes three practice nurses who provide most of the chronic disease management, and one healthcare assistant. The nursing team report managerially to the practice manager and clinically to the partners. The practice manager has support with running the practice from a Deputy manager who oversees the day to day running of the practice and some of the claims. There is a full supportive staff team of 22 members who multi-task with their own areas of responsibility in the practice administration. There is also a team of four secretaries. The practice also employs a maintenance man and a gardener. The cleaning is undertaken by contact cleaners. Physical Environment The surgery is rented from a private landlord. The premises are light and spacious. There is a large car park offering spaces for doctors, staff and patients as well as visitors to the adjacent pharmacy. On the ground floor, there is an entrance lobby, a spacious waiting room with a touch-screen for booking on arrival, a reception/back office with four work stations, the practice manager’s office, a post room, kitchen, and GP consulting rooms and two nurse’s room. A lift and stairs lead to the first floor where there are a further three consulting/nurses rooms, a waiting area, a 3 secretarial office, an administration office,call centre office, a kitchen, a staff room, and a large doctors’ common room/library. There is potential to extend the premises in the future and rent out space to other healthcare providers, such as physiotherapists. The practice has achieve a Good rating with the CQC (Care Quality Commission) inspection in 2017. Practice Meetings There are weekly team meetings with the GP partners at Monday lunchtime. Every fortnight these are business meetings with the practice manager and at other times they are clinical educational meetings, prescribing meetings and meetings with the Primary Healthcare Team. The partners and manager hold quarterly strategic meetings and a yearly AGM. The practice nurses hold regular team meetings and the administration staff meet monthly with the practice manager. Financial Management and IT The practice manager is responsible for the financial management of the practice, ensuring income generation and cost controls, and providing financial forecasting and business advice to the partners. The manager will oversee claims for income, and be responsible for the bookkeeping, paying expenses, monitoring the practice bank accounts, bank reconciliations, and staff salaries and pensions administration |(using a bespoke computer package). The practice changed its clinical IT system in May 2014 to EMIS Web. The practice website www.everesthouse.co.uk provides useful information to patients including on-line prescription requests and appointment booking and has recently transferred to a “Footfall” Silicon Practice Digital Health Solutions web site. CCG and PCN – the practice is part of the Herts Valley CCG and has recently become part of one of four network groups in Dacorum. Danais Network covers 40+ patients and is formed of five local practices. Local Area Hemel Hempstead is a historic town, later developed as a new town in Hertfordshire, England. Located 24 miles (39km) northwest of London, it is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population according to the 2001 Census was 81,143 and at the 2011 census was 94,932 so a growing population. Developed after the Second World War as a new town it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century and was granted it town charter by King Henry VIII in 1539. It is part of the district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum and the Hemel Hempstead constituency... 4 Hemel Hempstead grew up in a shallow chalkland valley at the confluence of the rivers Gade and Bulbourne 27 miles (43 Km) northwest of central London.. The New Town expansion took place up the valley sides and onto the plateau above the original Old Town. To the north and west lie mixed farm and woodland with scattered villages, part of the Chiltern Hills. To the west lies Berkhamsted. The River Bulbourne flows along the south western edge of the town through Boxmoor. To the south lie Watford and the beginning of the Great London conurbation. To the east lies St Alban, a historic cathedral and market town and now like Hemel Hempstead, part of the London commuter belt. Hemel Hempstead has a mixture of heavy and light engineering companies and has attracted a significant number of information technology and telecommunications companies helped by its proximity to London and the UK motorway network. Hemel Hempstead railway station is located a mile south of the town centre in Boxmoor. It is on the West Coast Main Line and there are frequent services between London Euston and the Midlands Schools There are six state maintained secondary schools in the town: • Adeyfield School – Business and Enterprise College • Astley Cooper School – A Specialist College for the Visual Arts. • Cavendish School – A Specialist Sports College, from 2019 renamed the Laureate Academy. • Hemel Hempstead School – A Specialist Performing Arts, Maths & Science School • John F Kennedy Catholic School – A Specialist Technology and Modern Foreign Languages College (Roman Catholic) • Longdean School – A Maths and Computing Academy There are also independent (fee-paying) schools in, or adjacent, to the town: • Abbot's Hill School – a day and boarding school for girls • Lockers Park School – a day and boarding school for boys aged 5–13 • Westbrook Hay School – a co-educational school for children aged 3–13 In addition there is a West Herts College Campus based in the town centre. Sports - A wide range of sports and physical activities are catered for within the town and its immediate locality. Most sports facilities in the town, and the wider borough, are provided through Sportspace (the operating name of Dacorum Sports Trust). They have operated several facilities including a sports centre, swimming pools, golf complex , football club, rugby clubs, baseball club, a real snow indoor sports venue, an outdoor skate-park, an athletic club to highlight a few of the many sporting facilities on offer. 5 .