Skerryvore Practice Profile

New Scapa Road
KIRKWALL
Orkney

01856 888240
01856 888068 FAX

Skerryvore is an expanding 5 partner practice situated in Kirkwall, the county town of the Orkney Islands. We have a relatively low list size of 4900 patients that allows us to provide services in the Balfour Hospital: We provide medical input to Maternity, Acute Medical and McMillan units.

Within the practice, 2 part-time practices nurses help us with Diabetic, Well Woman and Heart Clinics as well as providing a full range of general nursing services. We have a multiskilled office team headed by our practice and office managers, Paula and Maureen. We work closely with an extended practice team which includes Community Nurses, Health Visitor, Diabetic Specialist Nurse, CPNs, Alcohol and Substance Misuse Nurses, MacMillan Nurses.

We completed RCGP Practice Accreditation in 2002 and achieved the RCGP Quality Practice Award (QPA) in 2006.

The practice aims to provide high quality care to our patients in primary care and the Balfour Hospital. We are keen to promote Remote and Rural Medicine as an interesting and challenging branch of medicine.

Partners

Dr Steven Beaven MB ChB, DRCOG, FRCGP Edinburgh 1978 Other Appointments GP Trainer Hospital Practitioner Obstetric Team McMillan Lead GP MCA Medical Examiner Clinical Interests Consulting and Communication Skills Palliative Care Obstetrics Other Interests Running, Cycling, hill walking and climbing	Dr Peter Fay BSc, MB ChB, DRCOG, DCH St Andrews 1979 Manchester 1982 Other Appointments Hospital Practitioner Obstetric Team MCA Medical Examiner Skerryvore Software Ltd (Director) Clinical Interests Diabetes Obstetrics IT in General Practice Other Interests Sea kayaking, software development, french horn, DIY
Dr Anne Nicolson MB ChB, DRCOG, MRCGP Aberdeen 1990 Other Appointments Lead Clinician Sexual Health Clinical Interests Contraception Psychiatry Gynaecology Other Interests Travelling, Painting and Drawing,	Dr Mhari Linklater MB ChB, DRCOG, MRCGP Aberdeen 1995 Other Appointments Hospital Practitioner Medical Team Hospital Practitioner Obstetric Team Deputy Trainer SHO Mentor Clinical Interests Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease Gynaecology Other Interests Walking, Swimming, Cycling, Cooking
Dr Sarah Stevenson MB,ChB DFFP MRCGP Glasgow 2002 Other Appointments None Clinical Interests General Practice Other Interests Golf, Entertaining

General Information

• 5 partners
• List size 4900
• Practice area covers a large part of the east mainland of Orkney
• "Paperlite" Complete electronic patient records
  using InPS Vision and DocMan
• Out of Hours Primary care provided by NHS 24
• Full range of contraceptive services
  (including fitting of IUCDs, Diaphragms and Implants)
• Immunisations
  • childhood immunisations (nGMS targets achieved)
  • Travel vaccination service
  • Active program for influenza immunisation
  • Active program for adult immunisation
• Well Women clinic run by Practice Nurses
  (nGMS cervical cytology targets achieved)
• Minor surgery performed
• Weekly cryotherapy clinic
• Practice Diabetic Clinic (established 1990)

Teaching

The practice was first approved as a training practice in 1989 and we have had 12 registrars since then.

• Unparalleled breadth of clinical experience available
• Residential registrar courses based in Inverness
• 4 one hour teaching sessions timetabled each week
• Plenty of opportunities for informal discussion
• All partners involve in teaching
• Extensive practice library
  Computer catalogued and indexed by "A General Practice Library"
• Variety of accomodation locally available
• WWW Access

Our registrars are involved in all aspects of the practice both clinically and administratively.

Each teaching programme is developed to meet each registrar's individual needs.

Since 2008 we have been involved in the Aberdeen University Undergraduate Teaching program taking Medical Students in 2 blocks each year.

Balfour Hospital

Maternity

• Around 60% of our antenatal patients deliver in the Balfour Hospital
• Drs Beaven, Fay and Linklater are part of the GP Obstetric team who, along with the midwifery staff, provide intrapartum care for all of Orkney at the Balfour Hospital.
  
• Caesarians performed by surgeons locally
• Almost no requests for home confinement
• Any patient for whom a specialist unit delivery is indicated will be transferred to Aberdeen at an appropriate stage in the pregnancy.

Acute Medicine

• 5 Remote and Rural SHOs at the Balfour Hospital are supervised by GP Acute Medical Team
• Dr Linklater is part of the GP Acute Medical Team
• Much acute medicine is managed entirely at the Balfour Hospital
• Patients may be transfered on to the Aberdeen hospitals by air ambulance (or scheduled flight) for more intensive management or for investigations not available in Orkney.

Palliative and Cancer Care

• 4 bed Macmillan unit.
• Dr Beaven is Lead Clinician for Palliative Care but all partners have interests and responsibilities here
• Protocol based chemotherapy
• Integrated Macmillan team (community/hospital)
• Community syringe drivers

Continuing Care

• Access to rehabilitation and assessment on Piper and St Ninian Wards
  (Skerryvore Practice has no clinical responsibilities on the Piper ward)

Surgery

• A wide variety of surgery is performed here by the 2 local Consultant Surgeons
  "General" Surgery really means general surgery here - Dynamic Hip Screws to Caesarian Sections!
• 3 Consultant Anaesthetists
• Lists are also performed by visiting ENT, Gynaecology, Dental and Ophthalmology Surgeons
• Staffed by 2 Staff Grade Surgeons and 5 Remote and Rural SHOs.
• Skerryvore is not directly involved in the surgical ward although we do maintain close contact with patients and staff..

We have a good working relationship with the visiting consultants who carry out regular outpatient clinics.

Orkney

Orkney is an archipelago of relatively low lying islands lying off the north coast of Scotland. It has a fascinating coastline of dramatic sea cliffs and sandy beaches. Prehistoric and later archeological sites are prolific and well preserved.

• Regular ferry crossings to Scrabster, Aberdeen and John O Groats
• Air links to Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow

The Pickaquoy Centre has extensive sports facilities and a cinema. Good opportunities for water sports and fishing. Swimming pools. Local schools with excellent reputation. Low house prices. Full range of Christian churches. Some excellent restaurants. Nightclub ("Fusion"). Visiting professional theatre and musical groups. Various amateur music and drama groups.

Orkney Folk Festival (May).
Orkney Drama Festival (one act Plays).
St Magnus Festival (June).
Orkney Science Festival
Jazz Festival
Orkney Blues Festival

Skerryvore Practice History