A GP practice in Hyde which has been ensuring its patients have 24/7 access to medical care has caught the eye of healthcare industry leaders.
The Brooke Surgery on Market Street has been recognised by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) – an industry trade publication – for building an in-house online system for accessing a GP practice at all times of the day and night.
The building of the system in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic was led by GP partners Dr Nabeel Arshad, Dr Shay Kuponu and Dr Ash Faruq.
It enabled patients to instantly access clinicians online and inspired other GP practices across Greater Manchester and beyond.
The Tameside surgery’s system means patients can ask for medical advice, organise in-person telephone and video GP appointments, with an average of five hours from request to appointment.
Since its 2020 introduction, The Brooke Surgery’s list of registered patients has grown by 80 per cent thanks to an unprecedented amount of referrals and word of mouth.
It won the primary and community care provider of the year award at The HSJ Awards, which promote excellence in healthcare and encourage sharing of best practice, methods of improving patient outcomes, and innovation to drive better services.
“The Brooke Surgery team have transformed primary care in Tameside by providing unprecedented levels of 24/7, 365 day-a-year access to upwards of 18,500 patients,” said Dr Kuponu.
“The average time from a patient first making a request to the patient completing their appointment is within five hours – including face-to-face appointments.
“The Brooke Surgery is now a highly-rated NHS GP practice on Google – receiving a rating of 4.7 with over 690 patient reviews and our patients no longer have the 8am rush for appointments, and A&E and 111 referrals have reduced.
“As NHS Greater Manchester is continuing to improve access to primary care services over the next five years as part of its primary care blueprint, The Brooke Surgery team is excited to share learnings we have developed with Greater Manchester as a whole.”
The Brooke Surgery was among a record-breaking 1,456 entries, 223 organisations, projects and individuals who made it to the final shortlist following two rounds of judging, by a panel of more than 190 influential people from the healthcare community.
The Hyde centre was one of three Greater Manchester winners at a glitzy ceremony and was presented with its award by comedian Matt Lucas.
Alastair McLellan, Editor of the HSJ, said: “What better year than the 75th anniversary of our wonderful and world-leading NHS to be able to applaud all those who were recognised as worthy winners at the 2023 HSJ Awards.
“I’d like to extend my personal congratulations to The Brooke Surgery who scooped ‘top spot’ in their category.”