Our Practice

Welcome to Acorn Surgery

Acorn Surgery opened its doors to patients in March 2001, initially based in temporary accommodation whilst the Oak Tree Centre was being built. During the first two years the Practice became the fastest growing GP Practice in the history of the NHS! The number of patients on the Practice list is now over 10,500 and we see our continued steady growth as a huge vote of confidence in our extensive range of patient services and quality of care.

We continue to be one of the highest scoring GP practices in the country in terms of Quality and Outcomes and in 2017 were rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, a rating we have maintained since.

Read Our Mission Statement

By treating our patients and colleagues in a way we would want our loved ones to be treated, we provide evidence based sustainable primary care in a safe and supportive environment. We work cooperatively towards improving health and wellbeing, whilst encouraging educational opportunities across our team and community.

Vision

Our aim is to be at the forefront of modern general practice, offering a wide range of services and facilities.

Values

Empathic and Caring
We put care and wellbeing at the heart of all that we do.

Professional and Safe
To provide evidenced based healthcare to achieve the best possible outcomes in a safe environment.

Respectful and Supportive
Valuing the contribution of everyone.

Inclusivity and Integrity
Embracing and supporting individuality, promoting an environment of honesty and fairness.

Reflective and Improving
We recognise listening and reflection as an opportunity to change and improve.

Transparency and Trust
We ensure we take responsibility for our actions, and are open and transparent.

BMA Practice Charter & You and your general practice

GPs and their practice teams provide the vast majority of NHS care outside of hospitals, supporting you and your family throughout your lives. In a perfect world, we want to be able to offer every patient:

Safety – prompt access to a GP or practice nurse you trust, with well-staffed surgeries and enough resource so that no patient feels left behind.

Stability – a family doctor who knows you, your medical history, and your community – without the stress and difficulty of finding it difficult to get an appointment.

Hope for the future – care that focuses on keeping you well, not just treating illness. We want more time for meaningful consultations, joined-up support closer to your home, from modern GP surgery premises with safe and effective technology to make this possible.

The government talks of “bringing back the family doctor” but what politicians promise is often not planned properly or funded fairly to be able to be delivered in reality.

We aim to respond to all appointment and advice requests promptly, prioritising those most in need. Sometimes we may need to offer you an appointment on another day or direct you to another suitable service.

For safety reasons, urgent medical requests cannot be accepted via our online system. For something urgent, pick up the phone or walk in to our reception.

The need to prioritise urgent cases to keep patients safe can result in longer waiting times for routine/non-urgent appointments.

The new requirement to allow patients unlimited online access for non- urgent medical requests, throughout core hours, makes it more likely that we will have no choice but to create hospital-style waiting lists to meet patient need.

We want to guide you through the NHS, co-ordinate your care, and support you to stay healthy. We want every patient to feel safe and confident in their GP practice – now and in the future

GPs are on your side.

Rising demand, fewer GPs – GPs care for 17% more patients than in 2015, but with fewer GPs. Funding has not kept pace, so many patients find it hard to see their GP quickly, leading to the stressful scramble to secure an appointment.

The Challenges Your Practice Faces

Practice closures – Around 2,000 practices have been lost since 2010, that’s one in four surgeries, leaving fewer local practices and longer waits or travel for patients.

Funding pressures – Practices receive just 31p per patient per day to provide unlimited consultations with our doctors and nurses, making it hard to employ enough staff and sustain services.

Workforce challenges – More GPs are leaving the NHS than joining. While our staff work tirelessly, system pressures and patient frustration can affect everyone’s morale and well-being. We have unemployed GPs now – and practices lack funds to hire them.

Unsafe workloads – Many GPs see far more than the accepted safe limit of patients per day, often working over 60 hours a week. Recent government changes risk making this worse.

Ageing buildings – One in five GP surgeries is now over 75 years old – older than the NHS itself which started in 1948. There is very little investment to provide modern facilities fit for today’s needs.

Access versus continuity – Government policy means speed of an appointment comes before choice. This lack of continuity of care, means patients often don’t get to see a familiar face who knows them well.

Demand management – We always aim to respond to all appointment and advice requests promptly, prioritising those most in need. Sometimes we may need to offer you an appointment on another day or direct you to another suitable service.

For safety reasons, urgent medical requests cannot always be accepted via our online system. For something urgent, pick up the telephone or walk in to our surgery.

The need to prioritise urgent cases to keep patients safe can result in longer waiting times for routine/non-urgent appointments.

The new requirement to allow patients unlimited online access for non-urgent requests, throughout core hours, makes it more likely that we will have no choice but to create hospital-style waiting lists to meet demand.

We may unfortunately sometimes face challenges beyond our control:

difficulties with accessing services at the local hospitals and long waiting lists
Workforce challenges – not enough GPs to look after you
The need to provide our teams with compulsory NHS training and education, unforeseen events
NHS IT challenges with old and slow equipment
lack of investment in practice buildings and development
public health emergencies

Our contracted hours are 08:00 – 18:30 Monday to Friday and we deliver our services between these hours as per the GPC England guidance
Please note at certain times, e.g. lunch or the end of the day, a Clinician may not be present in the building (e.g. out on home visits).
In any emergency, please dial 999 for an ambulance or attend the nearest – Accident & Emergency department

We believe patients deserve more

At present, GPs and their teams are under huge pressure – caring for more people with fewer resources.
Without proper investment, the safety, stability and continuity of care that patients value most are at risk.
As your GP practice, we will always do what we can to deliver the best service possible for you and your family. With the right resources and support, we could expand our services, employ more staff, and deliver the safe, timely, and personalised care you deserve. –
Please remember that our current GP contract funds patient care on average at 31p per day per patient, which is not enough to meet rising demand and to provide the care you and your family deserve.

So please bear with us – and thank you for your support as we try our best for you and your family.

See NHS England’s You and Your General Practice document here: You and Your General Practice