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We have some doctors leaving us in the next few months to follow other paths:

We are sad to announce that after 17 years of working at Tavyside Health Centre, Dr Johnson will be leaving us at the end of December 2019. He has been a significant part of much of the growth and development of Tavyside over that time, ensuring the long lasting stability of this important service for local people. He has been extremely popular amongst patients over the years and we appreciate that for some, this will be a huge loss and we you to be reassured that your care will be passed onto another GP who will continue to deliver the high standard of care that Dr Johnson gave.

Dr Charlotte Mitchell-Flower

We would like to welcome Dr Mitchell-Flower to the Tavyside team. She will be working across both Tavyside and Lifton sites.

Dr Mitchell-Flower trained in East Anglia and has been working on the Isle of Wight for the last three years. She was brought up in Devon and is very much looking forward to working in the area.

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Tavistock Minor Injuries Unit temporary Closure
August 2019

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We are sorry to announce that we are being forced to temporarily close Tavistock Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) from Monday 5 August for a period of three months. This is due to staffing shortages that we cannot overcome in the short term.

The Unit is usually open from 09:00 to 22:00 7 days a week but over the past few months it has become harder to keep the unit open due to our small team being affected by unplanned absence.

We have no choice but to temporarily close the unit for three months to allow time to build up our team working across the three MIUs at The Cumberland Centre, Kingsbridge and Tavistock.

The MIU at The Cumberland Centre and Kingsbridge will remain open. Details for these units can be found here.

Tavistock MIU sees an average of around 23 patients a day. Patients who would normally use Tavistock should use the Cumberland Centre in the interim or call NHS 111.

Please note this only affects the MIU at Tavistock, the rest of Tavistock Hospital will remain open as usual.

What is the PPG?

The Patient Participation Group (PPG) is made up from a collection of patients registered with the Practice that work in partnership with Practice staff and GPs. The PPG provides feedback to the Practice to help improve on services and help to achieve high quality and responsive care. We have a nominated Chair and Secretary (yet to be confirmed) who determine the agenda and distribute the minutes of each meeting.

Meetings will be held every six to eight weeks in our Conference Room within Tavyside Health Centre.

We are actively looking for 15 members to join our face-to-face PPG. Once we have a group, we will elect a Chair and Secretary who will be responsible for the overall running of the PPG.

If you are unsure as to whether or not you would be able to attend the meetings held within the Practice, you can alternatively become a part of the virtual PPG (VPPG) which will include completing surveys and feedback via email.

If you would like to sign up to either versions of the
PPG/VPPG, please ask for a form at reception, or sign up by visiting the following page — www.tavyside.org/patient-participation-group/

We regret to inform you, that as of the end of July 2019, Dr Higgs will sadly be leaving Tavyside Health Centre.

Dr Higgs first began working at Tavyside Health Centre in August 2016 as a final year GP Registrar (ST3). After completing training, Dr Higgs continued to work at the Practice as a Salaried GP.  Over the years Dr Higgs has been a highly valued member of the team, both by colleagues and patients.

Here are a few words from Dr Higgs himself.

‘It is with great sadness to inform you that my family and I will be moving back to North Devon towards then end of July. Although this is something we have considered for a long time now, it has been a very difficult decision to finalise, as my wife and I both love the area, our work and the people we work with.’

Dr Higgs will be sadly missed by his colleagues and patients.  On behalf of all staff at Tavyside Health Centre, we would like to wish him and his family the very best for the future.

WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN A GOVERNMENT SCHEME TO PROVIDE FURTHER EXTENDED HOURS FOR GP APPOINTMENTS

THIS MEANS THAT APPOINTMENTS WILL BE AVAILABLE ACROSS THE SURGERIES:

MONDAY TO FRIDAY                                                08:00 to 20:00

SATURDAYS                                                                08:00 to 12:00

SUNDAYS (at Mount Gould Plymouth)               15:00 to 17:00  

Ring 01392 822354

BANK HOLIDAYS (at Tavistock Hospital) From May – 08:00 to 11:00

Minor Injuries Unit

Each Surgery will provide their normal Monday to Friday hours between 08:00 and 18:30.

Telephone and Dispensary services opening times should be checked with each individual Surgery

The evening Extended Hours appointments until closing at 20:00 will be offered Monday to Friday at:

Abbey Surgery)

Appointments at both Surgeries to be booked in advance

Tavyside Health Centre)

The Saturday Extended Hours appointments will be as follows:

Abbey Surgery                         08:00 to 12:00 every Saturday

Tavyside Health Centre         08:00 to 12:00 every other Saturday

Yelverton Surgery                   08:00 to 10:45 every four out of five Saturdays

IN ALL CASES BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL