News

Please note that between 1300 and 1400 each day, practice staff are engaged in team meetings and administrative work, as well as preparing for afternoon clinics. These are vital tasks to ensure high quality patient care. For this reason, we politely request that patients do not contact the practice between these times for routine non-urgent…

This week is when our registrars change over, so we have said goodbye to Dr Rabia Ali and Dr Justice Onuoha. Justice will be working in paediatrics, A&E depts and then in some larger GP practices in the area over the coming months – we should see him back here in 2028. Joining us this…

We have received a safety alert about GLP 1 drugs and GIP drugs. These drugs include dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide. It is already known that Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is a possible side effect with GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/ GIP receptor agonists. However, there have been a few cases of…

This week is when our registrars change over so we have said goodbye to Dr Rabia Ali and Dr Justice Onuoha. Justice will be working in paediatrics,  A&E depts and then in some larger GP practices in the area over the coming months  – we should see him back here in 2028.   Joining us…

We are writing to all patients to whom we have been supplying weekly blister packs to. This service has been provided for some years, free of charge, to help patients who have difficulty in managing their own medication. Provision of these blister packs places considerable demands on the practice. It has becoming increasingly difficult to…

We offer home visits to patients who are housebound or who are acutely unwell, preventing them from being able to come into the practice. We cover a wide area and we have a system for assessing when a home visit is appropriate. It is always safer for a patient to come to the practice where…

For some years we have been are pleased to offer the provision of blister packs for the convenience and safety of patients who find it difficult to manage their own medication. This is intended as a service for our most vulnerable patients. This service has expanded and we are now providing weekly blister packs of…

For some years we  have been are pleased to offer a complementary prescription delivery service for the convenience of patients who would find it difficult to access the practice to collect their own medication. Originally this was intended as a service only for our housebound and isolated, vulnerable patients. This services was expanded since the…

We will be closed on Christmas day and Boxing Day and on New Year Day. Our medication deliveries to our dispensary from suppliers will also be affected by holidays. Please take this into account when ordering your prescriptions and allow a few extra days when placing your order.   Thank you

Patient Feedback In November, 85 patients were randomly surveyed following their appointments. There were 50 responses. Our score of 95th percentile means that The Croft Surgery practice scored above 95% of all practices! Thank you again to our patients who gave helpful comments that we can use to improve our services.

The North Cumbria NHS Work Well Service, part of the NENC ICB Health and Growth Programme, is a new initiative delivered by Cumbria Health in partnership with local support organisations. The service is designed to help people who are finding it difficult to remain in work, or who are off sick due to a physical…

Dr Hewson will be leaving the practice at the end of the year and we will all miss working with her. We are sure that our patients will join the staff in wishing her well in her new position and I’m sure we’ll be in touch with her regularly. We now welcome Dr Jane Baxter…

“To the patients and staff of The Croft Surgery, I wish to thank you all for your support during my time as a GP at Kirkbride. It has been a privilege and pleasure to work in the area in which my Grandma was born and brought up. To allow more time to support my family,…

Practice meeting time is 1030 – 1100 each day – please help us out by avoiding contact with the surgery during these times – whether in person or by telephone.   It’s valuable for us as a team to have time to catch up on changes and important events or issues arising.

As you will be aware, the NHS have now commissioned GP practices to prescribe Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for weight loss, and have asked practices whether they wish to sign up to offer this service. This practice has made the difficult decision to not sign up to provide this service. This decision has been made on the…

Due a significant increase in demands on our practice, for safety we will need longer to process medication requests. If ordering 3 or more items or if your request is for strong painkillers (Controlled drugs) you will need to wait 5 working days from the date of request for this to safely processed. Your co-operation…

If you pay for NHS prescribed HRT medicine 3 or more times in 12 months, an HRT PPC (prescription prepayment certificate) could save you money. Please check to see if you are eligible; the scheme does not apply to all HRT medication. We will try and prompt patients about this when they are collecting prescriptions.

We have recently registered a lot of new patients with the practice. Our practice list size is bigger than it has ever been and still increasing. Over the years we have tried to remain flexible with our boundaries, however the quality of patient care and safety is compromised by having patients living many miles from…

♻️We are signing up to the Pencycle recycling scheme. ♻️Patients will be able to return their used injectable items for us for recycling. (Please hang on to them in the meantime until we have the collection box in place at the end of the month!) This will cover the following items: i. Wegovy® ii. Ozempic®…

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme has now introduced digital invitations and reminders via the NHS App. This means quicker and more convenient access to cervical screening invites when screening is due. For those where a digital invitation isn’t possible, a letter will be posted as a backup. All invitations will guide participants to book appointments…

As the national rollout of this scheme begins, the local service agreement for managing this new NHS initiative is not yet in place. We will post updates when news becomes available.

Over recent years we have been able to offer our patients appointments in Wigton on Saturdays. 🩹From 1st April, Cumbria Health are no longer providing these sessions but our colleagues in neighbouring practices will be offering appointments that we can use for our patients! 💊These appointments will be available during the week ~ early mornings,…

This booklet gives quick guidance on the best way to manage child health issues as they crop up. It is a reassuring step by step way to show parents and carers how to manage simple illness and minor issues themselves and when they should seek professional advice from a pharmacy, health visitor, or a doctor….

Results from 50 patients surveyed after an appointment in February 2025 indicate that 98% of patients would recommend our practice to their family and friends. We always share these reports with all staff and our patient participation group members. Where patients have indicated improvements to services are needed, we can discuss these with the whole…

Results from 50 patients surveyed after an appointment in February 2025 indicate that 98% of patients would recommend our practice to their family and friends. We always share these reports with all staff and our patient participation group members. Where patients have indicated improvements to services are needed, we can discuss these with the whole…

There is a requirement for all patients registered at a practice to have a named GP. We call this “usual GP” All registered patients must have a named accountable GP who is responsible for their care. This is largely a role of oversight and helps with practice administration. Patients do not need to see their…

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. The average pay for GPs working in Kirkbride Surgery in the last financial year was £48,463 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 part time GPs who worked…

Travel vaccines At The Croft Surgery we only provide the free travel vaccines available on the NHS. You can view your immunisation history online using the NHS app. Please then seek advice about the vaccinations recommended for your travelling. If you require other vaccinations you will need to make arrangements elsewhere; these are often available…

Please Respect Our Staff All of the staff at this Practice empathise and understand how frustrating it can be accessing clinical services within the NHS at this current time. We are all patients within the NHS too and are facing the same challenges due to the unprecedented increase in demand on all NHS services. Our…

Results from 50 patients surveyed after an appointment in January 2025 indicate that 98% of patients would recommend our practice to their family and friends. We always share these reports with all staff and our patient participation group members. Where patients have indicated improvements to services are needed, we can discuss these with the whole…