A downtown CHESTER medical practice attributes its success to the hard work and dedication of its staff.
The Fountains Medical Practice is outperforming the national average on numerous criteria, according to the results of the GP Patient Survey (www.gp-patient.co.uk)
The results show:
- 71% of patients find it easy to reach the office by phone (national average 53%)
- 86% of patients find our receptionists helpful (national average 82%)
- 64% of patients are satisfied with available appointment times (national average 55%)
- 74% of patients were satisfied with the appointment offered (national average 72%)
- 78% of patients described their overall practice experience as good (national average 72%)
These results are a product of what the staff at Fountains Medical Practice have achieved over the past three years. Under a new partnership and leadership, the practice went from being on the brink of closure to the success it is now.
Fountains Medical Practice has invested in clinical staff utilizing various healthcare professionals to create a remarkable team and using innovative IT solutions to offer a wide range of appointments and services to patients.
The practice strongly believes that training future healthcare professionals is key to the success of the NHS and is proud to be a training practice and hub for the University of Liverpool Medical School, the University of Chester, the University from Buckingham, supporting Health Education England with training GP registrars, medical students, medical associates and nursing students.
They have a successful apprenticeship program for their administrative staff where the team has had the opportunity to develop their skills.
Lee Jones, managing partner of the practice, said: “Our ethos is to invest in our team, develop them and encourage them to be the best they can be!
“Even the GP registrars and medical students who intern here at the practice become part of the team and gain important experiences with them that will no doubt prepare them to be future leaders in their profession.”
Mr. Jones joined the practice full-time in August 2021 and while he is focused on making the practice a success, he is also a strong believer in promoting wellness and inclusion within his team.
He added: “The practice win is entirely due to the hard work and dedication of the team and my focus is to make sure my team is happy and satisfied with their work. A happy team with high staff morale will only contribute to the success of the practice!”
Fountains Medical Practice also provides primary care services to the 23 nursing homes in Chester.
Lead GP Partner Dr Jeevan Crasta, who runs the Fountains Integrated Care Service with his team of GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Associate Physicians, works closely and in partnership with Care Homes, providing holistic and cohesive person-centered care to residents in care homes. .
This service, which is unique to the area, was launched in 2020 and rolled out to all care homes in the City of Chester over a 12-month period at the peak of the pandemic.
One of the hard-working teams at the Fountains Medical Center in Chester.
Each of the care homes was brought into service under the watchful eye of Dr Crasta and Dr Ian Minshall, who personally developed the initial personalized care plan and, with the help of a development team, delivered it to more than 800 registered nursing home patients.
Fountains Medical Practice has also focused on prioritizing proactive preventative care within the community. They are passionate about addressing health inequities within the community.
One of the projects they are involved in is raising health awareness within LGBTQIA. The practice is working towards the Pride in Practice Award this year.
They are also working towards RCGP Veteran Accreditation, while Dr Ian Minshall has recently been awarded for excellent epilepsy care.
A cake presented to Dr Ian Minshull at Fountains Medical Centre, Chester.
They are providing enhanced care to the most vulnerable migrants in resettlement schemes in partnership with doctors at Home Place.
Catharine Chalton, owner of Home Place, said: “I was asked if I could work with Fountains Medical Practice the winter before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“I was happy to help the practice administer flu vaccines to patients in nursing homes throughout Chester. I have been privileged to continue to support the practice during the pandemic in the drive to administer covid and flu vaccines to ensure that some of the most vulnerable patients in our community have benefited from timely vaccinations.
“The practice provides general practitioner services in Chester to people living in nursing homes and more recently to displaced people.
“All services are delivered with compassion and dedication by a small team who care for each and every person as if they were members of their own family.
“I have been a qualified registered nurse for 40 years and I really thought I would have hung up my uniform by now! Working with the practice has been an absolute privilege and a huge surprise for me to remain ‘in my nursing skin’ until now.”
The practice also proactively encourages students at the University of Chester to access the primary care service by offering them a new enhanced patient health check on record to ensure newly arrived students are up to date with their vaccinations and know when and how to access primary care services sooner. any crisis.
The practice does not believe in strict geographic boundaries when promoting health and wellness within the community.
They actively support one of Cheshire’s little leagues because they are passionate about making sure kids have the chance to exercise and be healthy.
They are very proud to support and sponsor the Little Sutton Football Club. One of its founders and manager Zoe Dunn said: “Little Sutton FC have had the support of the practice to ensure that young people from local communities are able to play football and have a good understanding of health and wellbeing.
“The practice provided funding for essential kits and sports equipment, which meant the kids were able to stay active each week. May our relationship continue to support the health and well-being of our local communities.”
Jones added: “We still have a lot of work to do and we are heading in the right direction to get there.”
Dr Crasta concluded: “At Fountains Medical Practice, we are blessed to have a strong team of dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who make it possible for one of the smallest practices in the city to play an important role in the provision and promotion of health and well-being of people with diverse health care needs in the City of Chester”.
