Skerryvore Practice is a friendly, well organised and forward thinking practice based in Kirkwall, the main town of the Orkney Islands. We are a training practice who provides additional services in sexual health and inpatient palliative care. Orkney provides a safe environment for children, has good schools, excellent facilities and ample opportunities to enjoy outdoor pursuits.

Currently we have a list size of 7,300 with 7 partners (6.5 WTE), specialist trainees and medical students on rotation from Aberdeen. We use Vision and Docman and consistently score highly in QoF. If interested OOH sessions or work in the local maternity unit may be available.

For an informal chat please telephone Dr Mhari Linklater on 01856 888 240, email mhari.linklater@nhs.net or visit our website on www.skerryvorepractice.co.uk.

Please apply in writing enclosing a copy of a recent CV to Mrs Maureen Firth, Practice Manager, Skerryvore Practice, Health Centre, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1BX or by email to maureen.firt@nhs.net

Closing date: 15th June

Interview Date: 22nd June

Start Date: September 2012 (Negotiable)

How do we know if we’re getting it right?

One resource is the statistics machine that sits in the background, monitoring website activity.  Despite picking up some automatic searches by robots, the figures for the site show an increasing trend of activity.  RuralGP is attracting over 150 visits per day, equating to 5000+ visits per month.  We can see that the site is visited via links from external sites, and monitor the difference that articles such as this one in Pulse make to our viewing rate.

Remember, RuralGP.com is a free resource, run voluntarily and open to any offers of articles or editorship.  In addition, we are happy to feature:

• your job advert, free of charge
• local service design, that may be of interest to other rural practitioners
• training issues, or advice for future rural GPs
• links to useful videos, podcasts and stories
• your ideas to make the site more relevant, accurate and engaging

Rachel Weldon, Rural GP

The rural general practice community – and beyond – will be deeply saddened by the news that Rachel Weldon, GP for the Isle of Eigg, was found dead on Wednesday 2nd May.

Rachel provided the GP service to Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna on the West Coast of Scotland for over ten years.  With geography necessitating a RIB powerboat for her rounds, she worked in one of the remotest locations possible.  She was a contributor to the RPAS group for many years, including attending conferences on a regular basis.

Her unique job situation featured in a BBC Radio 4 series “GPs who need GPS” by Dr Phil Hammond in June last year.

A news story regarding her death has been published by The Scotsman.

I am 58 and have been the Doctor on Tiree for 25 years in this 1.5 Doctor Practice. I am looking for a 0.5 – 0.75 Partner to live on the island, working a flexible rota.

• list size 730 – 20 minute appointments
• real Doctors only need apply – on-call 24/7, emergency work with an excellent nursing team, 35 air ambulances a year, and the best and worst the Atlantic weather can throw at you
• new, Health Board-owned, dispensing surgery
• high QOF, EMIS, GMS
• newly refurbished Doctor’s house available
• Octoberish start

I am happy to talk to you about this opportunity. Contact John Holliday, Baugh Surgery, Isle of Tiree, Argyll PA77 6UN. Telephone: 01879 220323, email: john.holliday@nhs.net

As part of these celebrations, a one-day conference in Inverness has been organised for Saturday 19th May.  An exciting programme of short presentations by doctors and historians will include a re-enactment of scenes from the collection of evidence that happened 100 years ago.  This mini-play was first performed at the Highland Medical Society GP evening and proved to be very popular with the audience, generating much enthusiastic discussion.

Further information on the conference, including a downloadable programme, is available on the Dewar Centenary website at the link below:

http://www.dewarcentenary.org.uk/wp/conference

Registration is free: details from the website above.  The conference will be open to anyone with an interest in the subject, so feel free to invite friends and family too, and spread the word in your area.

We are seeking a doctor for a half-time partnership position. Starting date negotiable.

We work in a beautiful part of Devon within easy reach of the surf of the North
Cornwall Coast and walking on Dartmoor.

• Friendly, highly motivated team
• Fully dispensing
• 1820 patients
• Synergy software
• High QOF achievement
• PMS contract
• Above average income
• OOH work available
• Purpose built surgery

Please apply with CV to Mrs. Cathy Ley, Beech House Surgery, Shebbear, Devon EX21 5RU by 31st May 2012.

Informal visits welcome by arrangement. For further details email: cathy.ley@nhs.net

This will be the tenth BASICS Scotland conference, and a great programme has been planned – a day covering a wide spectrum of prehospital medicine, sandwiched between an interesting social programme.  “This conference will change your practice” and it is hoped that the programme will appear to all types of BASICS responders across Scotland.

There will be opportunities to brush up on pre-hospital skills in some of the workshops, as well as discuss issues such as clinical governance.  Dr Susan Klein will be speaking about professional and emotional resilience in responders, and Sir Keith Porter will be looking at “human factors” in decision making during emergency response.

There will be presentations from active responders, looking at all angles of providing BASICS-type emergency support.    Professor George Crooks will open the conference programme.

More details are available at the BASICS Scotland website:  http://www.basics-scotland.org.uk/ - or you can download the programme here.

Full details are available from the NES website.

Photo: Creative Commons Licence: Colin Campbell

Practice based in a newly built community hospital.
Minimum 8 daytime sessions per week participation in out of hours preferable (community hospital, A and E and GMS work) with second on call back up.
Accomodation available.

We’re a 7 doctor, 6500 patient practice in a lovely part of the West coast of Scotland.  As well as the providing the usual GMS services, the community hospital OOH work provides variety and challenge.

For more information and to apply, please contact Practice Manager Muriel Miller Muriel.miller@nhs.net 01546 462002 by 30th March.

Island of Pag

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the 3rd EURIPA Rural Health Invitational Forum will now be held on the island of Pag, Croatia, instead of the original venue Porto.

A website detailing the programme and travel details is currently being put together at http://3rd-euripa.conventuscredo.hr/

From the looks of things, Zadar airport – 90 minutes away from the venue – is the best airport to aim for, with 1-stop flights available from airports including Edinburgh and Manchester.