Staff over the moon as surgery wins top prize

Upton Surgery, which also won the customer care award, received the honour at the Management in Practice Awards at the Birmingham NEC last week.

The practice, which moved to purpose-built premises in Tunnel Hill in October 2007, was judged by the medical journal to have excelled in patient services, providing patient-centred initiatives supporting healthy lifestyles and self-care projects.

The practice also won the customer care award, sponsored by Footprint Telecom, for organising and providing a wide range of extra services for its patients.

These include a weekly short walks programme led by a practice nurse to support her weight-loss clinics, a referral scheme to the nearby town where 64 patients have started an individual activity programme, including exercise programmes, and a strength and balance programme for patients at risk of falls. There are also on-site mental health services and a case management project, providing a multi-agency team offering guidance and support to patients experiencing a crisis due to acute ill-health.

This is the second year that Management in Practice has conducted these awards, launched last year.

After collecting the award, Phillipa White, practice manager of the Upton Surgery, said: “This is for all the people at the surgery who aren’t here today, who are back at the branch, working really hard for all these initiatives.”

Written applications from practices across the UK were received by Management in Practice earlier this year, and a panel of expert judges set up for each of the six categories assessed the entries according to agreed criteria. Shortlisted nominees attended the awards ceremony and lunch on Wednesday, part of the Management in Practice Birmingham Event. Practice management consultant Fiona Dalziel, one of the judges of the Practice of the Year Award, said: “All practices were really put through their paces, so for anyone to have got this far is a huge achievement.”