Updated 7 September 2018
The Three Shires Medical Practice provides GP services from four surgeries in rural areas of South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Although each surgery is registered as a separate location (or GP practice) with the Care Quality Commission they operate as one practice with a centralised management structure. The practice is a partnership of five GPs, who are responsible for all regulated activities across all four surgery locations. The regulated activities are delivered from surgeries at:
- Three Shires Medical Practice - Pucklechurch, 12 Becket Court, Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire, BS16 9QG.
- The Three Shires Medical Practice - Colerne, 35 High Street, Colerne, Wiltshire, SN14 8DD.
- The Three Shires Medical Practice - Marshfield, 2 Back Lane, Marshfield, South Gloucestershire, SN14 8NQ.
- The Three Shires Medical Practice - Wick, 111 High Street, Wick, South Gloucestershire, BS30 5QQ.
We visited all four surgeries on the same day during this inspection. Details of all the surgeries can be accessed via a single practice website.
The Three Shires Medical Practice has a single patient list of approximately 9,280 patients and whilst patients can use any of the surgeries, they tend to see a GP at the surgery nearest to where they live. Each of the four surgeries is able to offer dispensing services to those patients on the practice list who lived more than one mile (1.6km) from their nearest pharmacy. The practice has signed up to Dispensary Services Quality Scheme (DSQS) which rewards practices for providing high quality care to their dispensing patients.
The general Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) population profile for the geographic area of the practice is in the tenth least deprivation decile. (An area itself is not deprived: it is the circumstances and lifestyles of the people living there that affect its deprivation score. It is important to remember that not everyone living in a deprived area is deprived and that not all deprived people live in deprived areas).
As well as the five GP partners, there are three salaried GPs who collectively provide 5.9 whole time equivalent (WTE) GPs. The practice also employs two nurse practitioners and six other nurses along with phlebotomy, reception, administrative and managerial staff.
The Colerne practice support approximately 1,940 patients including those from a local military base. There are a higher number of patients under 10 years of age and creased demand on maternity services than at the other surgeries. The practice is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and remains open until 6.30 pm on Wednesday each week.
The Marshfield practice supports approximately 2,560 patients, with more patients aged 40 to 60 years old because of its proximity to the motorway system and suitability for patients who commute to work. Locally there is a mixture of farming and rural housing; and a mixture of affluence and deprivation. The practice is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and remains open until 6.30 pm on Tuesday each week.
The Pucklechurch practice is close to the Avon Ring Road and supports approximately 2,240 patients from Pucklechurch (which has some areas of deprivation) and the villages of Dyrham and Hinton. There are new housing developments at Emersons Green and the local patient list is growing. The surgery is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and remains open until 6.30 pm on Thursday each week.
The Wick practice supports approximately 2,500 patients and provides services mainly to those who live in local villages including Abson and Doynton. Some patients commute into nearby Bath and Bristol; and others live in a local sheltered housing complex. The practice is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and remains open until 6.30 pm on Monday each week.
The practice is a member of the South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and holds a personal medical services (PMS) contract. A range of other enhanced services are offered which provide services in addition to what is required under a core PMS contract. These enhanced services include; delivering meningitis and childhood vaccinations, facilitating timely diagnosis and support for patients with dementia and offering annual health checks for patients with learning disabilities.
When the practices are closed patients who live in South Gloucestershire can access Out Of Hours services provided by Brisdoc; and those who live in Wiltshire can access services provided by Wiltshire Medical Services.