Belfast surgery awarded GP Practice of the Year 2021

The Royal College of General Practitioners, which represents over 1500 GPs across Northern Ireland, is proud to announce that Greenway Practice has been awarded Northern Ireland GP Practice of the Year 2021.

RCGPNI’s GP Practice of the Year is nominated and judged by patients, to recognise exceptional care that GPs and their practice teams provide for their local community. In a year that has proved challenging for everyone, this recognition has been hugely welcomed.

Angela Hutchison, Greenway Practice Manager, commented:

“We are absolutely delighted to receive this award. It has been an incredibly challenging year for everyone and our team has strived to continue to provide a caring, empathic service for all our patients despite the Covid-19 pandemic. We are particularly proud that we have continued with face to face appointments when clinically appropriate and know that this has been appreciated. To have our efforts recognised through this patient-nominated award has given us all a tremendous boost.”

Colin Cluney, who nominated Greenway Medical Practice, added:

“It was a pleasure to nominate the dedicated and compassionate staff at Greenway Practice and I am thrilled to learn they were successful. They richly deserve this Award, for many years of excellent support and care for our entire family, particularly elderly relatives. Given the challenges of the last 18 months, we have all realised the importance of accessing care in our local surgeries. Greenway Practice is an integral part of our East Belfast community.”

Further information

(For Media only)

Cliona McCarney, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at RCGPNI

07341 737033.

Cliona.McCarney@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editor

The patient nomination can be found below.

The Greenway Practice has, over the years, proved to be an important lifeline to our family over the years particularly when dealing with care for elderly and infirm relatives. I feel they are deserving of recognition for the services they offer, particularly as they are:

• wholly understanding of each unique situation;
• have at all times made themselves readily available to answer (not always simple) family questions;
• respond to queries quickly and very efficiently; and
• show an exceptional level of understanding and compassion.

The staff on Reception have a particularly unenviable job in often difficult situations yet somehow manage to deal with every query in a helpful, caring and understanding manner and in my family's experience have each been able to clearly identify and prioritise the requirements of our request, particularly if urgent or last minute. The practice simply couldn't work without them.

The on-site Nursing staff are also exceptionally friendly and always put each patient at ease - whether dealing with the annual flu jab or checking medication requirements. All in all they are often the public face of the practice and a huge benefit to it.

The Medical staff (both GP and students) are, without exception, fantastic - despite the sometimes awkwardness of the current 'triage' contact system in operation they always manage to quickly get back to the initial call and always offer a timely and effective response to whatever our query may be. They are:

• supportive in times of distress (such as seeking nursing care or during a bereavement);
• always professional yet compassionate;
• available to physically see or examine a patient when necessary; and
• willing to discuss a range of issues - whether it be personal health issues or matters relating to elderly relatives.

This is a large practice yet somehow the patient or carer still feels like they are being treated as an individual. That's not an easy task yet it is one that remains hugely important to anyone in times of need and as such the Greenway Practice is a vital part of the East Belfast community and one we couldn't do without.

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 52,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.