12:16pm Wednesday 19th October 2005
By Kim Theobald
The women who make up the reception team at the Parkside Group Practice have been declared "unsung heroines" by patients.
Regarded as professional and kind, the staff seem to have made going to the doctors a very pleasant experience.
The surgery, which was established in 1991 after moving from St Augustine's Avenue, has nearly 12,000 patients, 10 doctors, five nurses and more than 10 administrators.
Jean McPhail has been the practice manager for more than 15 years and believes the long term employment of their staff has given the practice its pleasant atmosphere.
One of the secretarial team has worked there ever since she left school while others have been at the surgery even longer than Jean.
"Our staff turn over is very minimal, our doctors are wonderful and we try to pass that on to our patients," said Jean. "If you have happy staff, you will hopefully have happy patients."
Unlike other NHS facilities, the Parkside Group does not close during the day there are no half days or a two or three day working week.
"We try and be as helpful as we possibly can, but there will be occasions when we have no available appointments, it can be very stressful.
"Patients' expectations can be very high I have to say, and with Government targets it is hard, but we do try our damnedest," she added.
If anything could be done to improve the practice Jean said she would make the building bigger so they could provide a wider range of services.
Patient Margaret McFarlane, who nominated the women for the Team of the Year award, said: "At a time when the NHS is not delivering to many of us patients, I wish to applaud the wonderful professionalism and kindness of the reception/secretarial team at my GP's practice. They are unsung heroines."
"The doctors are wonderful too," she added, "but as front-line deliverers at primary care level the team - Valerie, Jennifer, Jane and Alice - are deserving of recognition as an example of best practice' in action."
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/trade_directory/