Danetre Medical Practice

Please note….. The practice doors are only open for patients who have been asked to attend for an appointment by one of our clinicians.

If you have been asked to attend for an appointment can you please enter the practice alone where ever possible. Please DO NOT bring family members along. We are also asking those patients who do need to attend the surgery to wear a face mask or covering to help to ensure the safety of both themselves and of all of our staff and patients. **

Please DO NOT attend the practice for any other reason.

Please ring 01327 703333 with any other queries, prescriptions etc. Our patients services advisors will be happy to help and advise.

You will not be allowed into the practice if you do not have an appointment.

We would like to thank you for you understanding at this time.

**Face coverings should not be used by children under the age of 2 or those who may find it difficult to manage them correctly. For example, primary age children unassisted, or those with respiratory conditions**

Can real life mental health recovery stories help you with your own mental health journey?

Researchers from the Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham are running a trial looking at the benefits of accessing other people’s recovery stories. Participants will have online access to the world’s largest collection of recovery stories for up to one year. If you’d like to take part, you will also be asked to give feedback on the stories and complete some questionnaires. For more information see recoverystories.uk

Dear patients,

After 23 years I have decided to retire from Danetre Medical Practice.

I am hoping to still continue on an infrequent basis as a Doctor at Danetre, but I will no longer be your named GP.

This is a bittersweet moment, part of me wants to stay, but another part of me says that it’s time to move on; life never stands still.

I want to thank you all for making this huge chapter in my life such a rich and rewarding one.

I would have loved to have spoken to each and every one of you and bid you farewell more personally, but the Corona virus has put paid to that plan. I’d love to hear from all of you though; my email details are at the end.

I hope you will have a smooth a transition with my replacement - Dr Kunal Gupta. I know I leave your care in his experienced and friendly hands.

23 years was time enough to see the bumps-to-be and new babies when I joined the practice grow up into adults and have their own families. I have seen the circle of life, held brand new life whilst also holding the hand of some drawing their final breath.

During this time I have seen Danetre transform from the rickety old health centre with buckets to catch the leaking rain, to our present fabulous premises, with many changes in our dedicated staff along the way.

Whilst I don’t want to single out any specific members of staff, I will always be beholden to my wonderful secretaries Shirley Ingram and the late Margaret Brookes. My debt for the support and unstinting help they have offered me over all my years at the practice can never be repaid.

From the huge amount of work transferred from hospital consultants to our patients living longer with far more complex multiple medical issues, the GP’s role has radically changed during my years at Danetre.

I have always striven to be a GP who can reflect on all the patients’ different medical conditions and try to treat the whole person rather than just their present specific ailment.

I certainly would want this continuity of care as I get older, from a GP who knows all about me personally, and I hope have been successful in my goal in treating you.

That’s why I always wanted to be a GP - to build a rapport, a friendship and ultimately trust between us that would last for years, and I hope I have guided you over my time to make wise decisions about your health and care needs. I will miss this part of the job massively.

I will also miss working with my fabulous team at Danetre Medical Practice.

I value the contribution of every member of our staff who work in an ever increasingly stressful and demanding environment. Working 14 hours a day as a GP is now not uncommon.

The pressure from the public is at times completely out of proportion to their actual health needs. It seems that the healthier the population become, the more they worry unduly about their health. Please remember all of our team are human, working excessive hours at times under very trying circumstances. They are all trying to consistently give their best. I promise you, you cannot fault any member of staff’s commitment in their wish to improve your predicament.

I hope if the Corona pandemic achieves anything worthwhile, it’s that the small but vocal minority of the public who perpetually complain or abuse General Practice (and make life in a GP practice at times intolerable - and a large element of why I am retiring) learn to appreciate GP’s and GP staff more.

The practice receives from the Government funding of less than 60p a day per patient to offer you limitless access to our services. Imagine if a Supermarket allowed you to shop unlimited for just £219 a year?

Instead please reflect on the difficult but amazing job we achieve in General Practice, day in and day out. We may not always get it right, but it’s not from a dereliction of intention. General Practice sees 80% of NHS patient contacts, but receives less than 10% of the NHS budget, without us hospitals would simply be overwhelmed, and the NHS would die on its knees.

Please continue to treat all our staff with the respect they deserve.

But my final words must go to you, my patients and my friends, as this big chapter in my life and career comes to a close.

I will be forever humbled and grateful to you all for letting me into your world, for trusting and believing in me.

I consider all of our interactions over the years to be special and unique. You have allowed me to get to know you and your innermost emotions and feelings, and it has been my privilege to support you to make the best of what were sometimes difficult situations. I feel honoured to have known you, cared for you, laughed with you and sometimes cried with you.

Hopefully many of you left my room with a smile and a lighter step than when you entered.

I know I count many of you now as my friends, and not just as patients. I will honestly miss you all and our chats.

I wish you all good health and happiness on your journey in the coming years.

With my very best wishes and heartfelt appreciation, thank you.

Dr Gareth James

Ps: Please feel free to email me with any of your stories about our past interactions or any general comments to DrJamesRetires@yahoo.com

Alternatively you can always post me a letter via the surgery.​ I will endeavour to reply to them all

Please download the form, complete and email to information.dmp@nhs.net

NGH have set up a relative support line so people can check in on the current condition of family members or loved ones. To use this service, the person will need to know the patient’s full name, ward location, date of birth and NHS number where possible. The team will check in with the ward to obtain details on the patient’s condition. The person will then receive a call back with this information. To use this service, please dial 01604 545784. The line is open on: Monday to Friday - 9:00am until 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday - 10:00am until 4:00pm This line cannot be used for advice on upcoming appointments or admissions.

A support line has been launched to support the most vulnerable people in Northamptonshire during the coronavirus crisis.

The helpline, which will be managed by the Customer Service Centre at Northamptonshire County Council, went live on Tuesday 31^st March.

It allows those who cannot leave their homes under current restrictions and those who are self-isolating and have nobody to call upon for help to request support in getting access to food, prescriptions and other vital services that they require.  It means that care can be provided to those that really need help.  It applies to those with existing health conditions, those who are pregnant or those aged 70 and above.

Each call to the helpline will be triaged so that individuals receive the care and support that is appropriate to their needs.

The Community Resilience Service will co-ordinate requests for help in conjunction with the district and borough councils, mapping those requests by area and linking them up with local community groups, volunteers and voluntary organisations who have pledged their support.

Those requiring help are asked to call the support line on 0300 126 1000 (option 5).

https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/coronavirus-updates/Pages/request-help-and-support-coronavirus.aspx

Danetre Medical Practice Opening Hours

Monday to Friday 7.30am - 6.30pm

Did you know you can now access appointments in the Extended access hub based at Monksfield Surgery (Daventry), Weedon, Towcester and Brackley between the hours of 6.30pm to 8.00pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 8.30am – 12.00pm and Sunday 8.30am – 11.30am to see a GP/Nurse Practitioner or HCA.

Please ask at reception for more information.

All appointments are subject to availability. 

Please contact us on 01327 703333 to book an Extended Access Hub Appointment. 

Click  here to read the latest newsletter and what's happening in YOUR surgery

Here at Danetre Medical Practice we are a compassionate and committed provider of clinical excellence.

Our staff are motivated to achieve their maximum potential and deliver diverse, local and patient centred services.

To ensure we provide first-rate, cost effective healthcare we work closely with our patients and listen to what they have to say. After all, patients are the key part of any Medical Practice so we take pride in giving them a voice.

The Practice itself is located in close proximity to Daventry Town centre in a modern building adjoining Danetre Hospital (a community hospital which opened in September 2006) offering a wide range of services and delivering a high standard of care.

Also attached to the Practice operating independently is Boots Chemist.

Contained within the site is a purpose built free car parking provision for visitors and staff.

All employers are expected to park within the car parks adjacent to the boundary of the site allowing the car parks nearer the Practice and Hospital to be used by patients visiting the site.

Where to find us

NHS England has recommended that medicines for minor ailments such as hay fever, insect bites, sunburn, colds and dry skin should no longer be routinely prescribed. In making these changes £136 million could be saved each year. In Northamptonshire the NHS spends around £5.4 million a year on minor ailments, money which could be used to support vital healthcare that can transform lives.

Medication for many minor illnesses can be purchased from your local Pharmacy, who can also provide advice, meaning you will not have to wait for an appointment at your GP Practice for a prescription, therefore freeing up appointments for patients with more serious conditions.

Please read our Statement of Purpose to see our objectives, certain Practice Policies, and our contact details.

Also read our Privacy Notice setting out how we keep and protect data about our patients.

Details of our Organisational Information are also available outlining the different teams here at Danetre, how we make sure our GP’s are always developing further in their fields, and information about our Newsletter.