The Gillies & Overbridge Medical Partnership

Practice Background

The Practice is a successful partnership of eleven doctors, working in two locations in the suburbs of Basingstoke. Basingstoke is in north Hampshire, close to the M3 motorway and on the Network Southeast main railway line from London Waterloo to Southampton, Bournemouth and Wyemouth. There are also good communications to the north via the A34 to Oxford and the M40 to Birmingham, and on to the A303 to Exeter, Plymouth and Cornwall. The town is surrounded by many attractive villages and there is a range of good property of all descriptions to suit most pockets.

The Practice began some thirty years ago in an end of terrace house at 135 Worting Road, about half a mile from the town centre. Owned by the Partners, three extensions have been added to the surgery, now called Overbridge Surgery. The latest building work was completed in July 1994, incorporating the ground floor of the next door property, and including a complete refurbishment and modernisation. There are five consulting suites, a general purposes room for physiotherapy, chiropody and midwifery, a good sized treatment room suite including a minor surgery room and nurses' office, a private interview room for health visitors and social worker, also adequate reception and administrative offices. Two Doctors, Practice Nurses, Health Visitors and a Midwife provide general medical and community services, supported by the surgery managers team of clerical and administrative staff, for the surgery's 4,000 registered patients.

Situated about one mile away, the Practice occupies a second site in The Gillies Health Centre. Recently rebuilt to a high modern specification in 2004, it also has a dental surgery, chiropractor, pharmacy and private suite for the services of its patients. The nine doctors are assisted by a five strong Practice Nursing Team, a District Nursing Team, Health Visitors, Speech Therapist, Social Worker, Dietitian and a Midwife Team. There are 16,000 registered patients. The accommodation is exceptionally spacious with twelve consulting suites with ensuite examination rooms, a large nursing department consisting of a three bay treatment room, phlebotomy station, minor operations room, a clinic room; and extensive office and meeting rooms. All rooms are air conditioned.

The Practice nursing team is lead by the Nurse Manager, the senior of the Gillies nurses. The Practice Manager is located in Gillies, assisted by his secretary who is also responsible for the computerised payroll and accounts systems. The computer staff maintain computerised records and generate reports for analysis and decision making. Staff work within a structured organisation, with full job descriptions and contracts of employment.

The Partners devise and approve practice policies and strategies as advised by the senior managing team of the Managing Partner and the Practice Manager, who are then responsible for their implementation. They continually seek to improve and extend standards of health care and set targets to be achieved in all areas. All General Medical Services targets are being met comfortably.

The Practice is fully computerised using iSoft’s ‘Synergy’ as its clinical system, making full use of Registration and Pathology Links. A full Windows network supports integrated telephony and computers providing intranet and file sharing services, plus scanned copies of all clinical correspondence to doctors' desks. We have secure NHS internet access and Practice internal and external mail communications. Both our surgery sites are linked via land line in an integrated single virtual system. One senior computer operator is responsible for systems administration, under the supervision of the Practice Manager.

The practice enjoys very good relations with the North Hampshire Primary Care Trust, local trusts especially North Hampshire NHS Hospitals Trust.

Some Partners contribute to the wider community through clinical assistantships as members of local pharmaceutical committees and trust non-executive board members.

We are also a keen Training Practice where each Surgery can accommodate a GP Registrar who has his or her own consulting rooms. There are several current GP Trainers in the Practice and many former trainers, providing an ethos of learning development and a wealth of training experience to the Registrar. The Registrar may gain experience of working in a medium sized surgery and also of being part of a large practice.