SUBTITLE
Issue #
Frithwood Surgery
45, Tanglewood Way, Bussage,
Stroud. GL6 8DE
Tel.0844 477 8617
Or
01453 882868
Dr Tim Crouch (m)
Belfast 1974 MB, BCh, BAO, D(Obs)RCOG
Dr Bridget Jorro (f)
London 1989 BSc, MB, BS, MRCGP, DCH, FRSH
Dr Jacqueline Slim (f)
Bristol 1987 MB, ChB, DA, DRCOG, DFFP
Dr Ken Burke (m)
Galway 2002 BSc(Pharm), MB, BCh, BOA, DCH,
MRCGP
Dr Dawn Isaac (f)
London 1987 MBBS, MRCP, DcH, DFFP
Dr Camilla Darlow (f) MBBS/BSc
FRITHWOOD SURGERY PPG NEWSLETTER
Introduction
Did you play a practical joke on April 1st?
April is a month of sunshine and showers,
although many of us may feel that we have
had enough rain recently, to last for a long
time. It would be nice to feel the sun again.
Last April, an eminent surgeon took his
expensive convertible sports car to his local
garage for a service and to ensure the
automatic roof mechanism worked fine. He
wanted the April sun on his face and the wind
in his hair. On collection, the car mechanic
asked how much money the surgeon earned
in a year to afford such a nice car. £190,000
replied the surgeon. The mechanic replied, “I
only get £19,000 before overtime and I do a
similar job to you. I open up the car and
expose the engine just like you would open
the chest of a patient to look at the heart. I
change the oil, clean the valves and check the
spark plugs, just like you would give a blood
transfusion and replace faulty heart valves or
put in a stent. I put everything back in order
and put it all back together, just like you
would before you stitch up the patient.
“Don’t you think I should have a salary like
yours?” said the mechanic. “I think you
should”, said the surgeon,” if you can do all
your work while the engine is running”.
News
Dr Tim Crouch, has announced his retirement
which will be effective from 31st May 2014.
We asked Dr Tim, if he would give us an
insight into his career, starting in practice as a
GP.
In his inimitable fashion, hiding his light
under a bushel; these are his own words.
“I remember 1. 10. 1980, it was a clear and
sunny autumnal day and the start of my
career as a GP. I had joined my father and
mother Hubert and Bessie at the
Eastcombe practice. They had been holding
the fort since 1952. Hubert was a man of the
people and practiced in his own unique style
which endeared him to most if not all of his
patients. As a result the road that runs past
the old surgery in Eastcombe carries his
name. Bessie worked very much part time at
the practice as she worked mainly as a
Hospital Practitioner in dermatology at
Gloucester and Cheltenham. Her MD thesis
was research into basal cell carcinoma.
In 1980 the surgery was a minimal
establishment with one small waiting room
and one small consulting room. That was it.
So we set about an extension to this, took on
more staff, expanded the dispensing and
things went well until we ran out of space. So
we extended the extension and things went
well until we ran out of space again. The
extended extension could be extended no
more and we were a bit stuck. We
approached the developers of the then half
built Bussage estate in the hope of acquiring
a plot, but they did not play ball. We bought a
plot of land on the outskirts of Eastcombe,
without planning permission, this was a
mistake as planning was not forthcoming.
Then as luck would have it we heard about
the plan to build a small community facility
on the Bussage development. We seized
ISSUE NO. 3 APRIL 2014
upon this opportunity and thus Frithwood
Surgery was born in 1995. This allowed us to
really get going, offering better facilities and
services to patients. As time marched on we
took on more nurses, medical students and
GP registrars. Some traditionally based
hospital services were keen to have
community outposts and so midwives,
mental health practitioners and physio’s
started coming in. Space was once again at a
premium. Our most recent extension and
upgrade was completed last year.
How did all this happen? Well it was a
question of getting on with the day to day
work with one eye on the future, taking the
good opportunities, looking for ways to
improve and keeping up with the ever
changing NHS. The crucial element in all of
this is good people. None of this would have
happened without the team pulling together
and it has been my great fortune to have
worked with some truly great colleagues at
all levels in the organization, and that is why
we are where we are today.
It has been a lot of fun. The dark days and
bumpy rides have been few and far between.
I could tell you enough hilarious anecdotes to
fill a whole series of “Doc Martin”.
The clock on the wall ticks relentlessly on.It is
telling me it’s time to go, and go I must, but
certain in the knowledge that Frithwood
Surgery will go from strength to strength.
Ends.
Issue Date
We will miss Dr Tim Crouch. Not only for his
kind, unflappable and professional manner in
surgery, but his enthusiasm to push
2
Frithwood surgery forward, to serve patients
and parishioners with an ever increasing
standard of service. We have mentioned this
before in a previous News Letter; Frithwood
surgery is probably the best surgery within
the five valleys. Dr Tim’s vision, tenacity and a
great team around him has made it so.
What’s the issue?
General practices are facing a growing crisis,
as they struggle to provide the care needed
by an increasing patient population. Our
surgery has recently been extended to cope
with demand. Ballooning workloads,
declining resources and an overstretched
workforce are placing a huge strain on
services that remain our first point of contact
with the NHS for our catchment area.
This is bad news for patients, when we face
longer waits for appointments to see our GPs
and a lower level of appointment time than
our GPs want to provide. Our surgery is
coping with this workload at the moment,
thanks to the hard work from the surgery
team as a whole. This is why it is so important
to ensure every patient appointment is kept,
or, the surgery is advised of cancellations.
The Royal College of GPs and the National
Association for Patient Participation Groups
are campaigning for the governments of the
UK to increase funding for general practice
from 8.39% to 11% of the NHS budget by
2017.
In the meantime, how do we cope? Well, we
keep saying it. “If you have made an
appointment and can’t attend, please let the
surgery know ASAP.
What if our surgery is closed
NHS 111 is a service that has been introduced
to make it easier for you to access local NHS
healthcare services in England. You can call
111 when you need medical help fast but it’s
not a 999 emergency. NHS 111 is a fast and
easy way to get the right help, whatever the
time.
NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year. Calls are free from landlines and
mobile phones.
When to use it
You should use the NHS 111 service if you
urgently need medical help or advice but it's
not a life-threatening situation.
Call 111 if:

You need medical help fast but it's
not a 999 emergency

You think you need to go to A&E or
need another NHS urgent care
service

You don't know who to call or you
don't have a GP to call

You need health information or
reassurance about what to do next

Our GP Surgery is closed
An opportunity to join the PPG
A member of the PPG, Pam Perry, has
resigned due to other commitments. This
leaves a vacancy for the next year or two. If
you would like to become a member of the
PPG Committee please contact the Practice
Manager Ruth Henney for more information.
We really are a nice group of people, who
meet three or four times a year, to try and
help improve the services our practice offers.
Come on. Give it a go. Some of it is quite fun.
Diary of events
Poet’s corner
A POEM THAT SOME OF US OLDIES CAN
RELATE TO.
I remember the cheese of my childhood,
And the bread that we cut with a knife,
When we children helped with the
housework,
And the men went to work not the wife.
The cheese never needed a fridge,
And the bread was so crusty and hot,
I know we were seldom unhappy
And my mum was content with her lot.
I remember the milk from the bottle,
With the yummy cream on the top
Our dinner came hot from the oven,
And not from the fridge; in the shop.
I remember the shop on the corner,
Where a pen'orth of sweets was sold
Do you think I'm a bit too nostalgic?
Or is it....I'm just getting old?
I remember the 'loo' was the lav,
And the bogey man came in the night,
It wasn't the least bit funny
Going "out there" to poo with no light.
The interesting items we perused,
From the newspapers cut into squares,
That hung on a nail in the lav,
It took little to keep us amused.
I remember the belt on my backside,
And the taste of soap if I swore
Anorexia and diets weren't heard of
And we hadn't much choice what we wore.
This Is Important for you to
remember.
Easter will be upon us this month. Good
Friday is 18th April and Easter Monday is 21st
April. The surgery will be closed on both
these dates, which means you will have to
place your prescriptions into the dispensary,
in plenty of time.
You may also wish to note that the surgery
will be closed for training on the 9th April
from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
In our next News Letter, we will be profiling
two of our resident nurses and their roles.
Annette Marsh and Pippa Williams.
Annette is highly qualified in many aspects of
medical care. One of these aspects relates to
good health while travelling abroad.
Pippa is an expert in ‘how to give up
smoking’. Watch this space.
Do you think that bruised our ego?
Or our initiative was destroyed?
We ate what was put on the table
And I think life was better enjoyed.
Now dinner is had on the sofa
In front of a forty inch tele
We watch all the sports on the screen
While increasing the size of our belly