'Ottery is growing and Coleridge Medical faces increasing demand'

I agree and I made that point in my submission to East Devon District Council’s Local Plan consultation.

I know from my own postbag that the Coleridge Medical Centre is under significant pressure to meet existing demand, so I sat down with their GP Partners before meeting with NHS Devon.

I first of all want to say that staff are working flat out in the face of a huge increase in calls and requests for appointments since the pandemic.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of staff, Coleridge are having to set a daily limit on how many patients can be booked for initial, urgent, and on-the-day assessments.

The practice is making some important changes to how they operate too, in light of patient concerns about getting a timely appointment.

Each Coleridge patient is under the care of their registered GP, as well as an additional two to three GPs who are all involved in the clinical processes and procedures related to that patient's care.

These GP 'buddy groups' mean patients build relationships with the other GPs in that group if their named GP is not available. I know having one named GP is preferable, but Coleridge say the move is to provide better continuity of care for patients.

Coleridge have also appointed a Lead Clinical Nurse Manager who is already restructuring their nursing clinical team.

It’s worth noting the district nursing team based at Coleridge took on Cranbrook a few years ago, which continues to grow. That means they are covering a wider area, with more people, but still with the same number of nurses. I have raised my concerns with the NHS and requested a review.

Coleridge are holding most appointments in person despite all these pressures. I will continue to work with the team at Coleridge and urge patients to continue to share their feedback and concerns with me.