'Huge honour" for Crowland GP practice after being featured in the Parliamentary Review
A Crowland medical centre has found its way into the good books of the country's politicians.
Abbeyview Surgery is thought to be the first GP practice ever to be featured in the Parliamentary Review, a series of independent publications aimed at people involved in politics and business.
These include Prime Minister Theresa May and her Cabinet, MPs, members of the House of Lords, trade unions and government departments.
Staff at Abbeyview, led by Drs Abhjit Banerjee and Fleur England, employee 23 staff to care for about 7,400 registered patients.
Dr England said: "Amongst other things, we have introduced a GP-led telephone callback service that has created an additional 75 appointments per week, while offering choice and convenience.
"We have also found that by replacing a part-time GP with a full-time nurse practitioner, an additional 50 appointments a week have been created, without compromising on the quality of care.
"Our patient-focused team has also launched a weekly GP-led minor illness walk-in clinic that allows them to cope with fluctuations in demand.
"Meanwhile, the introduction to the practice of a surgery pod has enabled patients to maximise opportunities for self-service, as the pod can be used for routine reviews, such as blood pressure and weight checks."
Abbeyview's entry in the Parliamentary Review comes just six months after surgery staff lifted the Collaboration with Patients and Other Providers Award at the 2018 NHS England General Practice Awards in London.
Dr Banerjee said: "Abbeyview Surgery is the first GP Practice to be featured in the Parliamentary Review, so this is a huge honour for us.
"Abbeyview's innovative and co-ordinated approach, supported by its dedicated and skilled practice team, has allowed it to implement a sustainable way to improve patient access, streamline services and maximise quality time for its patients.
"We are delighted to work collaboratively with our Patient Participation Group and others to enhance our reach and standard of care for our patients."
Crowland district and county councillor Nigel Pepper said: "I am proud to have such an outstanding GP practice in my county council area.
"The entire dedicated and highly-skilled team seem to have developed a synergy to really make a difference at a local level.
"The innovative changes they have introduced have improved patient care to a higher level and has clearly been recognised in the fact that a rural GP practice in the south of Lincolnshire has been featured in the prestigious Parliamentary Review, one of the foremost political publications in the country."
