Heywood Family Practice

About the practice

Heywood’s welcoming and inviting practice was purpose-built in 2002 and has all of the facilities and resources the team need.

The practice reports that the team are contented and happy and patients are very supportive and appreciative of what the team does.

Heywood offers pre-bookable appointments six weeks in advance with a named GP. There are also same day appointments with the duty Doctor supported by an on the day nurse practitioner and F2 GP. Pre-booked telephone appointments are also available on a daily basis.

Heywood is part of Gordano Valley Primary Care Network and Woodspring Locality.

Working environment, values and culture

The team at Heywood aim to provide a high standard of care to all patients by providing a quality, safe and effective service.

The staff have a real pride for, and love of working at, the surgery and believe that their strong team ethic is what enables them to provide fantastic patient care. Some of the things staff say about working at Heywood are:

”I love working here; I have never worked in such a supportive team. I feel valued and have great job satisfaction.”

“I feel appreciated in my work on a daily basis and I enjoy the positive feedback that comes from patients I have helped.”

“I really do love working here. I have never had a day when I have not wanted to go to work.”

The team meets together for lunch every day and has a few social events outside of the practice each year. There are also regular GP and nurse meetings.

What we offer

Many staff at Heywood take the opportunity to work on a part-time basis. The practice feels it’s important to allow people with dependents to benefit from more flexible ways of working.

Wherever possible, staff are enabled to take the leave that they request by supportive colleagues who help each other to fill any gaps in the rota.

The practice also offers a paternity, maternity and adoption leave and, in some cases, unpaid leave.

Staff also enjoy a generous holiday allowance.

Learning and development

The team at Heywood are a close and supportive team. There is a named GP for staff relations and new staff members are given the opportunity for regular appraisal and review.

New starters enjoy a full induction tailored to their role and experience.

The practice has F2 GPs on a regular four month placement and everyone is supported with a named GP mentor.

Heywood encourages and supports training and CPD events. Practice doctors are members of a local GP education scheme and have protected study time to attend learning events of their choice.

Learning events are also held at the practice for the whole team, including those covering basic life support and safeguarding. Staff also have the opportunity to access on-line learning.

There are regular clinical meetings including doctors, nurses and, on occasion, administrative staff. Designated leads within both the doctor and nursing teams take responsibility for several important clinical areas.

The practice has established the excellent lines of communication and open door policy essential to sharing and resolving difficult cases and clinical dilemmas. Sharing learning also is encouraged and enabled by email as well as face-to-face.

Our patients

The practice serves a mixed demographic that takes in the local village and surrounding semi-rural areas. Patients come from a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds and there are a relatively small number of patients from ethnic minority groups.

Heywood receives lots of positive feedback, scoring 96% good, very good or excellent in our recent CFEP survey. In the Mori surveys, Heywood was the best performing local practice. The feedback from NHS choices is also good and there are many positive comments about the care Heywood provides.