Close Farm Surgery

About the Practice

Purpose built in 1992, Close Farm operates from a converted farmhouse that has more recently been added to with a modern extension.

All consulting rooms are situated on the ground floor and there is a dispensary area next to reception. Upstairs houses office space, the staff room and kitchen, plus a large seminar room for meetings and training.

A part-dispensing practice, Close Farm is located midway between Bristol and Bath in a semi-rural setting.

GPs hold their own patient lists and continuity of care is very important to the Practice.

Patients are encouraged to see their named GP and are offered a mix of same-day and bookable appointments plus telephone consultations. Patients can also book appointments online and the practice offers electronic repeat prescription requesting.

The practice has a dispensary that caters for approximately 7% of patients. One of the Practice Nurses specialises in Respiratory/CHD and another specialises in Diabetes Care. GPs also carry out minor surgical procedures on-site.

Close Farm is an independent practice that works collaboratively under a memorandum of understanding with three neighbouring practices - Hanham Health, Kingswood Health Centre and Cadbury Health Healthcare - with a combined practice population of 52,000 patients.

Working environment, values and culture

The team at Close Farm set out to grow and consolidate the practice by continuing to provide good healthcare to patients. Their vision is to respond to changes and look for opportunities while the values they bring to work every day include supporting each other and the wider team.

The practice ethos is very much based around continuity of care and good team working to provide a cohesive, accessible service that is quickly and sensitively responsive to changing daily demand. The team of dedicated staff are focused on supporting each other and ensure there is protected time each day to catch-up and share a coffee together.

The practice is proud to provide a democratic, happy and supportive place of employment where the opinion and suggestions of all are considered in line with any changes or developments. Daily, informal chats are encouraged for both clinical and non-clinical support as well as holding formal meetings across different team members on a regular basis.

Staff turnover is very low and the surgery listens to feedback received through appraisals, monthly all-staff meetings and meetings with individual teams.

What we offer

The practice is open to a range of flexible working options and where possible will accommodate these.

Family friendly benefits include a child care voucher scheme, unpaid leave for dependents and statutory maternity, paternity and adoption leave.

Learning and Development

All new staff get a local induction, plus a buddy scheme wherever possible.

On the first day there is an induction meeting with the practice manager to cover employment documentation and health and safety and a guided tour of the building.

The induction programme will include:

• Sitting in with a colleague to get an understanding of how the practice runs
• IT training and time to practice on our system using dummy patients
• Time with the referrals and admin team to gain an understanding of the admin processes of the practice
• Specific training sessions on aspects of the post

The Clinical Pharmacist joining the team will receive support from an allocated GP Partner.

The practice holds a weekly multi-disciplinary team meeting with community colleagues to discuss high priority cases, as well as fortnightly in-house meetings attended by all clinical staff and the practice management team.

Staff are encouraged to undertake formal training and CPD, and Clinical staff have one week (FTE) of study leave per annum with the practice supporting the cost of appropriate courses.

Our Patients

The practice area takes in privately owned housing estates with pockets of council and housing association dwellings, a rural area between Bristol and Bath and several nursing and residential homes.

NHS Choices have been regularly complimentary and the practice receives an average of less than 10 complaints per year. The practice also meets with the Patient Participation Group monthly to gauge feedback on services.

In the national Patient Satisfaction Survey, Close Farm came 5th in South Gloucestershire and achieved 91% in the overall ratings, with the Practice Nurses achieving 100% on the questions asked. A CQC inspection in 2016 rated the practice as “Good” and the team are working towards achieving “Outstanding” for the next inspection.