Our Allied Health Professionals

We also have the support of a Paramedic, Clinical Pharmacist, Physician’s Associate, Physiotherapist, Health & Wellbeing Coach and Senior Mental Health Nurse.

You may be contacted by:

  • Paramedic – Natalie Hartley (f)
  • Clinical Pharmacist – Deborah Baah (f)
  • Physician’s Associate – Aneka Sivakumar (f)
  • First Contact Physiotherapist – Gaurav Gandhi (m), Joyline Dsouza (f)
  • Health and Wellbeing Coach – Claire Winzar (f)
  • Senior Mental Health Nurse – Hazel Wilkinson (f)

Paramedic

Natalie Hartley

How do Paramedics fit into General Practice?

Many of us would associate the word Paramedic with emergencies, people being treated at the scene of an accident or rushed to hospital to a background of ambulance sirens and flashing lights.

So, it may initially seem a little odd if your GP practice arranges an appointment with or visit from a Paramedic.

But the reality is that General Practice teams increasingly included highly skilled roles like Advanced Paramedic Practitioners and Advanced Nurse Practitioners to ensure all patients have equal access to core primary care services.

Not just emergencies

Traditionally, Paramedics have been most associated with emergency care, but their skills are equally transferable to GP patients with acute needs.

Paramedic training allows them to quickly but thoroughly assess the situation they are presented with. Combined with their clinical judgement, Paramedics can make decisions about the most critical immediate actions that need to be taken.

When visiting housebound patients who have reported a specific health concern, Paramedics can take stock of the person’s whole situation. Not just the symptoms they’ve reported but any other underlying physical or mental health issues, as well as their surroundings and safety at home.


Clinical Pharmacist

Deborah Baah

Clinical pharmacists are becoming more involved in the care of patients in General Practice. Having the pharmacy team working in our surgery provides valuable medicines support, a close link with our community pharmacy teams and allows our GPs to focus their skills and time where they are most needed for patients who have more complex needs. Pharmacists are experts in medicines and can talk to you about how to get the best from your medicines


Physician’s Associate

Aneka Sivakumar


First Contact Practitioner in Physiotherapy

First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPS)

We have two contact physiotherapist Gaurav Gandhi in Clinic Tuesday Morning and Joyline Dsouza Clinic Wednesday all day and Thursday Morning for patients aged 16 and over.

First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPS)

A First Contact Practitioner’s (FCP) day is very similar to other health care professionals working in the surgery practices. They work multiple sessions across various GP practices. Each session has on average a 20-minute appointment to assess, diagnose and give expert advice on how best to manage their conditions. Their primary role is as a diagnostic clinician working in GP practices to be able to assess and manage complex and undiagnosed musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. FCP roles are designed to support GPs as part of an integrated care team and to optimise the patient care by seeing the right person in the right place at the right time, and to prevent delay of diagnosis and treatment.

Seeing an FCP is different from seeing a traditional physiotherapist .The FCP does not provide ongoing physiotherapy but we would, if appropriate, refer you to the community physiotherapy service. We can also refer patients onto specialist services if necessary. FCPs can request blood tests and X rays as clinically appropriate, and in certain conditions can offer a steroid injection for pain management. FCPs can refer patients to GPs for the medical management of a patient with non-musculoskeletal problems or medication related queries

They can help you with

  • Arthritis
  • Muscle problems (e.g. shoulder pain, tennis elbow etc.)
  • Post orthopaedic surgery
  • Soft Tissue injuries
  • Spinal problems or related pain including nerve symptoms (e.g. pins and needles or numbness)

Health & Wellbeing Coach

Claire Winzar

Support with:

• Exercise and lifestyle
• High blood pressure
• Low level stress management
• Sleep problems
• Weight management particularly for people who are pre-diabetic and people with type 2 diabetes (oral medication only)


Senior Mental Health Nurse

Hazel Wilkinson

  • For patients aged 18+
  • Support with a variety of mental health problems