Excellent Community Links Win GP Practice Disability Care Award 2007, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 19 May 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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The Elliott Hall Medical Centre in Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex is to be presented with a prestigious award this evening for excellence in the care of patients with disability.

The annual Disability Care Award is presented by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), sponsored by Leonard Cheshire, the charity which works to improve access to services for people with disabilities.

The judges praised Elliott Hall Medical Centre for its work in bringing together members of the local community in helping fellow patients. The medical centre has a dedicated team of volunteers through its Patient Association who have for over 13 years helped other patients with shopping and lifts to and from the surgery, visited housebound patients and circulated a twice yearly newsletter to all households with self-help information and service updates.

Through its understanding of the needs of patients suffering from disability, the practice has ensured that all its services can be easily and practically accessed by all patients. Automatic doors, hearing loops, easy to read patient information leaflets and staff training in disability issues are all in place.

Patients suffering from mild to moderate mental health problems also benefit through care close to home with dedicated clinics within the surgery. Primary Care Mental Health Workers at the practice show patients how to use useful techniques and tools to help address any difficulties they are experiencing, such as step by step guidance in working through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Self Help Manuals and offering counselling using a person-centered approach.

The practice has received numerous awards in the past for their patient-centered approach to care including a Gold Award from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers in 2006.

Professor David Haslam, President of the RCGP, said: "The Disability Care Award is not just about making sure patients can access services through automatic doors and hearing loops, although obviously these are very important. It is about rewarding GP practices who have taken a really strong stance and dedicated their time and energies to creating a focal point for the local community; where everyone, whether or not they feel they suffer from a disability, feels their problems can be understood and eased where possible."

John Knight, Head of External Policy at Leonard Cheshire, said: "Elliott Hall Medical Centre really demonstrates good patient centred care in their approach and also has strongly embedded community links. Through its links with the Princess Royal Trust for Carers there is also proactive support for carers. There is strong evidence of disability awareness in their services and facilities for disabled patients. They also have a very good website."

Dr Chris Jenner, GP Principal at Elliott Hall Medical Centre, is justly proud of their work, which they strive to build on year after year. Dr Jenner said "The practice team and the Patients' Association are very proud of the work we do together to support patients with disability. It is particularly satisfying that we were proposed for this award by a patient. This award and the prize money will help us to build on these achievements. We are always looking at ways of improving services.

"We are now planning to lobby patients with a wide range of disabilities to see what improvements to prioritise and will use the prize money to support these initiatives."

Practice team and patient representatives from Elliott Hall Medical Centre will be presented with a cheque for £5,000 at the Royal College of General Practitioners' Spring Meeting on Friday 18 May at 6.00pm. To attend this event please contact the RCGP Press Office. Photographs of the award winners will be available after this date.

The adjudicators were much impressed this year with the overall quality of applications. Whilst only one practice can be selected as a winner, the Village Medical Centre, Kingswood Way, Great Denham, Bedford was highly commended. In particular, the panel praised the comprehensive information package, the transport systems to bring patients with their carer to the surgery and disability friendly procedures. All these have been developed since the practice opened only a few years ago.

Winner of the RCGP/Leonard Cheshire Disability Care Award 2007:
Elliott Hall Medical Centre, 165/165 Uxbridge Road,Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex.
www.ehmc.co.uk

Elliott Hall Medical Centre will be presented with a cheque for £5,000 at the RCGP Spring Meeting on Friday 18 May from 6.00pm. This year the meeting will be held at the Royal Geographical Society, Exhibition Road, London SW7.

Further information on the Disability Care Award can be viewed on the RCGP website The Royal College of General Practitioners is the largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom solely for GPs. It aims to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and to act as the "voice" of GPs on issues concerned with education; training; research; and clinical standards. Founded in 1952, the RCGP has over 27,000 members who are committed to improving patient care, developing their own skills and promoting general practice as a discipline.

Promoting excellence in family medicine: www.rcgp.org.uk

Leonard Cheshire (www.leonard-cheshire.org) exists to change attitudes to disability and to serve disabled people around the world. It has been supporting disabled people for almost 60 years and is active in 55 countries. The charity directly supports over 21,000 disabled people in the UK.

New RCGP Annual Primary Care Conference 4-6 October 2007, Edinburgh International Conference Centre
www.rcgpannualconference.org.uk

The RCGP has recently relaunched its website with improved style, navigation and content. You can see it at www.rcgp.org.uk

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