The Lennard Surgery

About the practice

The Lennard Surgery is based in 3 converted residential properties and has 13 consulting and treatment rooms.  The recent purchase of the house next door opens up some new opportunities for office space.

The team work to ensure that ‘hot desking’ is kept to a minimum through prudent rota/room management.

Overall, the team at the Lennard Surgery is focused on caring about their patients and each other, balancing being professional with having fun at the same time, and looking to the future while relying on past experience for guidance.

The Lennard Surgery also offers specialist geriatric care, minor surgery and expertise in respiratory and diabetic specialisms.

The practice is a member of the Swift Primary Care Network.  This is a network of 8 practices, covering 150,000 patients over a large part of the South Bristol area.

Working environment, values and culture

The practice has always prided itself on the quality of patient care it delivers. As a coordinated, reflective and modern practice, the team moves with changes and are always seeking to improve that quality of care.

The philosophy of the practice could be summarised as: high quality, up to date patient care; teamwork & good staff relations; flexibility, mutual cooperation & support and quality of life for all staff as well as patients.

Patient care is viewed as holistic and every member of the team has a part to play.

The practice has always believed in patient-centred care. This is enabled by a list size per doctor that is lower than average, allowing GPs to offer a high standard of service while maintaining quality of life. There is a proportionate spread of evening and duty doctor cover.

The Lennard Surgery offers a Care Navigation system within the reception team and this is used in conjunction with E-Consultations to ensure that patients are directed to the most appropriate member of the team. There is also a visiting nurse who handles the majority of visits.

As well as the annual Christmas party, there are also spontaneous social events that occur during the year.

Average staff retention is over 9 years, which reflects a stable, happy practice where the team enjoys good working relationships.

What we offer

Work/life balance is encouraged and supported within the practice and so teams are staffed accordingly.

The practice has implemented different ways of working to enable team members to lunch together in the common room, share experiences and get to know each other.

Job share opportunities are available and the GP sessions range from 3 to 7 per week.

Learning and development

There has always been a strong tradition of training in the practice, it having been one of the first in Bristol. The importance of education, and in particular the contribution that GP training brings to the practice, is well-recognised by the partners, all of whom have an interest in teaching. The Lennard Surgery is also a University of Bristol Core Teaching practice.

From the beginning, new staff have an induction and are mentored by senior staff.

The practice offers paid leave for courses / CPD study days, funding for approved training and development courses, and study leave for approved examinations, according to the different staff groups.
 

Staff also take part in weekly team meetings that include whole practice, MDT, partners and clinical. There are monthly department meetings, quarterly clinical education meetings, spontaneous social events and a Christmas party.

Our patients

The practice is situated on the southern edge of Bristol, easily reached from most parts of the city and from the neighbouring countryside. There are 8,500 patients, mostly in Bedminster Down & Bishopsworth, with some also in parts of Withywood, Hartcliffe & Ashton.

These are all mainly white working-class districts with a mixture of private & council owned housing. Hartcliffe & Withywood contain areas of deprivation, and South Bristol generally scores highly for most of Avon Health's morbidity & mortality markers. The practice looks after a slightly higher than average elderly population, with some patients in the local Bishopsmead Nursing Home.

The practice describes its patients as generally a very pleasant group with whom to work. The patient population has historically been a very 'stable' one with a low turnover of patients - family members often remain in the locality even when they set up their own homes. The practice gets to know patients well, with the satisfaction that continuity of care brings, often looking after several generations of the same family.

Recently, there have been more young families and white ethnic patients registering with the practice it will interesting to see if this trend continues as the older patients pass away and their houses become available. A recent study of the demographics in South Bristol would seem to indicate a peak with elderly patients and then a sharp fall.

In a recent patient satisfaction survey, 88% of patients said they find the receptionists helpful, and 87% of patients felt the last appointment they had was convenient. Both figures are above CCG and National average.

All of the GPs scored in the 90%+ area, while 100% of patients said they had confidence and trust in the last nurse they saw or spoke to.

88% of patients would recommend the surgery to someone, which is more than 10% above CCG and National averages.