Updated 24 September 2018
The Belford Medical Practice is located in the Belford and Seahouses areas of Northumberland and provides care and treatment to 4464 patients of all ages, based on a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract. The practice is part of the NHS Northumberland clinical commissioning group (CCG). Prescriptions are dispensed at Belford and Seahouses for patients who do not live near a pharmacy.
We visited the following locations as part of the inspections:
Belford Medical Practice, Croft Field, Belford, Northumberland, NE70 7ER.
Seahouses Health Centre, James Street, Seahouses, Northumberland, NE68 7XZ.
The practice serves an area where deprivation is lower than the England average. Information supplied by Public Health England places the practice in the fifth least deprived decile. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have a greater need for health services. Belford Medical Practice has fewer patients aged under 18 years of age, and more patients over 65 years, than the England averages. The percentage of people with a long-standing health condition is higher than the England average, 59.4% compared to 53.7%. Life expectancy for women (84.4) and men (80.7) is similar to the England averages of 83.2 and 79.2 respectively. National data showed that 0.9% of the population are from non-white ethnic groups.
The main surgery at Belford occupies a purpose-built building, which also hosts community healthcare staff. The Seahouses branch is located in a purpose-built health centre, which also provides accommodation for the branch surgery of another GP practice. All consultation and treatment rooms are on the ground floor. Disabled access is provided via a ramp at the front of each of the premises. A range of services are provided including, for example, clinic appointments for patients with heart disease, diabetes or asthma. The practice consists of three GP partners (one male and two female), a practice manager, two practice nurses (female), a nurse practitioner (female), a healthcare assistant (female), a medicines manager, three receptionist/dispensers, two dispensers and a small team of reception staff. The practice provided training opportunities for GP Registrars and placements for final year medical students.
The Belford practice is open Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 6pm. The Seahouses branch surgery is open: Monday and Thursday between 8:30am and 17:30pm; Tuesday between 10am and 17:30pm, and Friday between 8:30am and 12:30pm. Extended hours appointments are provided each Tuesday between 6:30pm and 8pm, in collaboration with other local practices.
When the practice is closed patients can access out-of-hours care via Vocare, known locally as Northern Doctors, and the NHS 111 service.