"Claremont Bank Surgery and its staff"

I have been a patient in this practice since 1973, as have my family, and I have encouraged others to join the practice. As I have grown older I have made increasing demands on all the staff and I have been treated with professionalism and understanding.

It is easy to make an appointment as the reception staff will help to direct me to the appropriate service offered by the surgery without usurping the medical staff. I was directed to hospital when I was very ill.

The nursing staff are both supportive and proficient .They helped me lose weight by encouraging my attempts rather than referring to my obesity!

They also have dressed wounds and monitored blood pressure.

I have been assigned a particular doctor and am able to see her/him unless it is a particular emergency.

As I have got older I appreciate this arrangement as I feel that I can build up a relationship with a professional person that I trust.

This relationship has been shown to be effective at least twice in my life when I have been severely ill.

It is extremely important to me to think that a doctor is both supportive and proficient so that I can think that he/she can absorb some of the burden of fear and that I can relax.

Like many organisations I suspect a GP practice is only as good as its staff. At Claremont Bank they all seem to work together to provide a service for their patients.

This is shown particularly when they provide the flu vaccine every year with military precision.

I only hope that if there are mergers in the future the ethos of this practice will be carried forward.