To provide the best quality medical and whole person care that we can. Our faith is the key to this. If you want to know more about why that influences what we do, then please click here to read on the Bigger Picture.

One way we can show that we are reaching our aim of good quality care is by meeting certain standards. For example:

We have a reputation as a "listening practice" being prepared to give patients extra time in a consultation when they need it. However this means that such a consultation will overrun, so if you are waiting past your appointment time to be seen then this is probably the explanation. We have been one of the top achieving practices in Hull for standards achieved under the new GP contract work over the last few years, which focuses on many areas of health care especially management of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes etc. We achieved these high standards by a combination of well organised, hard working dedicated staff, and by clearly presenting the medical evidence to our patients, listening and discussing issues when people have concerns and encouraging people to take responsibility for their own health. For more details of what we achieved see NHS Choices website which can be accessed via the NHS link to your right; type in the postcode in the "find" section & then click on performance. We have our own medicines formulary and over 80% of our prescribing is generic, which means using the proper not the brand (trade) name of the medicine, ensuring the most cost effective use of scarce N.H.S. resources. We will always prescribe to meet the needs of our patients. We have computerisation of medical records. In 2002 we stopped writing in paper records and entered all details of contacts onto the computer; from 2008 all the hospital letters have been scanned into your computer record as well. Letters prior to that date are still in the manual records. All manual records, whether GP or hospital letters, have been tided up into date order and neatly organised, and a medical summary of key problems has also been made on all records. If you have joined us after either of the 2 dates above then unless your previous practice used the same computer system as us ("Systm One") then we will have manual records of your GP consultations and your hospital letters until the date you joined our list; these medical records will have been tidied up neatly, as above, and a medical summary made within 8 weeks of you joining the practice. If you wish to know what is in your medical records, and check that we have accurately interpreted your records, then please ask for a leaflet entitled "Your Medical Record" which is available from reception. It explains what information we collect about you, how your records are used, how we keep your records confidential, who else has access to important medical information and how you can access your own health records, if you so wish. It is important that you keep us informed of any change of address or telephone number in case we need to contact you. Remember to notify the hospital of this as well, if you are under a specialist either in the Out Patients Department or awaiting an operation; as there may be other patients with the same/similar name, please also tell them your date of birth, hospital unit number, your 10 digit N.H.S. Number and your old address as well as your new address/phone number.

Taking responsibility is also important - whether it is for your own health or just remembering to cancel an appointment you no longer need so that it can be used by someone else.

We are now a global community, and the health of others in that community should be the concern of everyone. In many developing world countries many young children and babies die of "tummy bugs" (diarrhoea and vomiting) which could be prevented by access to clean water. Malaria is still the biggest killer worldwide. The doctors at Faith House all have a heart for the bigger picture, and below are some examples of how we are reaching out to the global community.

(1) PERU: The Vine Trust - Amazon Hope Medical Project

In November 2008, Dr. Amanda Melville, GP at Faith House Surgery went to Peru for 2 weeks to work with the Amazon Hope Medical Project, part of the Vine Trust Charity.

The Vine Trust is an international, interdenominational charity who work to bring opportunity, health and hope to disadvantaged communities and marginalized people with a particular concern for vulnerable children. They share God's love in practical ways to make a better life a reality for all regardless of race, creed, gender, colour or orientation.  The Vine Trust charity was established in 1985 in Boness, Scotland, and works in partnership with Scripture Union, Peru.

The Medical Project began in 2001, and reaches out to three large areas of Amazonia, visiting three monthly to establish a meaningful health service to the villages. The medical teams take Primary Health Care to the villagers living on the banks of the River Amazon and its tributaries, most of whom have very limited access to health care due to geography and poverty.  There are 2 vessels, Amazon Hope 1 and 2, which are equipped with pharmacy, GP and dental surgeries and a small operating theatre.  The Project works closely with the Peruvian Ministry of Health. The Ministry provide malaria and immunisation teams for each trip. January 2005 saw the opening of a new Health Centre in the shanty town of Puerto Belen, Iquitos.  The Health Centre which is part of the Medical Project has a full time doctor, a dentist and nursing staff.

Can I help?

Information on the Vine Trust can be found at www.vinetrust.org

(2) KENYA: Dr. Rena Downing, a partner at Faith House from 1984, took early retirement in September 2002 to go and work in Kenya to help their HIV/AIDS problem, which puts our country's health needs into perspective. Her husband, John (a solicitor) also took early retirement. It is their strong faith that has motivated them to serve in Kenya in this way. They have now returned after working there for 4 years, but retain a real "heart" for the AIDS /HIV work and so will be continuing in that role advising international care agencies. They continue to visit Africa partly by invitation from other countries & partly to ensure their work continues to bear fruit by supporting the team in Kenya. The work in Kenya was based at St Paul's United Theological College, Limuru, outside Nairobi. Rena & John designed & ran a programme to train church leaders in Pastoral Care & Prevention of HIV/AIDS in African communities. HIV/AIDS is a huge issue in Africa because the virus is released in the general population, not contained within certain high risk groups, as in USA and Europe. Rena has now returned to Hull & is working for The Quays practice where she can best use some of the expertise she gained in Africa. To give you an idea of the scale of the problem:

• At least 700 people are dying every day from AIDS: Young, economically active people
• 50% of all hospital beds are occupied with AIDS patients
• Each of the public universities is burying at least one student or staff member from AIDS every week
• Poverty is fuel on the fire: 60% live off less than 60 pence per day practically no money for tomorrows food, house rent, medicine, or clothes.

The church, critically important to the community, has, until now, been slow to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Historically it has probably contributed to the stigma that has smothered behaviour-changing solutions, and even worse, destroyed old social patterns (which included rigid sexual ethics) without replacing them with clear Christian sexual ethics. Yet Christians know that, in the Gospel, we have a message of hope and a caring compassion for those infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS, and their families, friends & communities. Training was needed to help Africa's churches learn and apply Biblically based practices to the prevention & pastoral care of HIV/AIDS in their communities. New church leaders are already being trained but existing leaders needed to be trained for progress to really be made. Rena & John were and still are part of a vision to train people to become trainers themselves

(3) HONDURAS: Dr Adam Wong and his wife, Elaine, who is a nurse at Faith House, spent two weeks as a short sabbatical in Honduras in March 2010 to do some voluntary medical work there. They have a wish to return again in the future.

(4) ALBANIA: Dr David Crick, and his wife Anne, who is an NHS Manager, took a sabbatical to work with PRIME International in Albania in May 2010, and plan to return in October. Prime teaches "whole person medicine", which is Christian principles applied to medical care, in cultures where the type of whole person medical care, that good doctors strive to practice in the UK, are an alien concept and where doctors who do try to practice that type of medical care are often unsupported by colleagues in their countries. For more information on what Prime do visit their website at:

www.prime-international.org.uk

All these are part of Faith House Surgery's wider vision, and are motivated by our faith. This gives you a flavour of the "Bigger Picture" in this world. Please take some time to look at the "Useful Links" section of the site under "The Big Picture" to get a better feel for world that you are part of.