DOCTORS - Partners and GPs

We have fourteen GP Partners, and employ two salaried GPs.  Most of our doctors work part time/ job share and enjoy a healthy work life balance.
 

Dr Becky Chandler MB, ChB, MRCGP, DFSRH; 2003 Liverpool Dr Chandler qualified in Liverpool in 2003 and gradually made her way to Whitby, via Australia, in June 2014. She loves living by the coast and when not at work, you may see Becky out running, walking her dog or trying to keep up with her children.
Dr Napa Gopikrishnan M.B., B.S., F.R.C.S (Ed); 1990 Madras Dr Gopikrishnan is an FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) and has a special interest in teaching, ENT (ear, nose and throat), orthopaedics and joint injections.  Dr Gopikrishnan is the buildings lead for the Practice. Outside of the Practice he works in Whitby Community Hospital and does out-of-hours sessions.
Dr Rob Hazledine MB, ChB, MRCGP; 2001 Glasgow Dr Hazledine is a GP trainer and has a special interest in teaching and joint injections.  He also works in the local Community Hospital. Outside of work Rob is a qualified RFU coach, enjoys both coaching and watching local rugby, and loves the quality outdoor lifestyle that living in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park offers him and his family.
Dr Tara Hazledine MB, ChB, DCH, nMRCGP; 2000 Edinburgh Dr Hazledine has a special interest in teaching, paediatrics, women’s health and palliative care.  She is an FY2 trainer and teaches the 4th year HYMS medical students. Outside of the Practice she works as a hospice doctor at St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough and until recently worked for the CCG as a Macmillan GP. Tara loves spending quality time outdoors with her family.
Dr David Hilson MB, BS; 2011 York Dr Hilson has an interest in palliative care and covers the local hospice in Scarborough on a number of weekends.  He also works as an out of hours doctor in Whitby. Studying medicine was a second career.  His first degree was in Marine Geography.  He led adventure tours for a number of years in a wide range of areas including Cuba, Libya, Pakistan and Peru.  His favourite areas to work were Jordan and Costa Rica. He was consistently asked when he was going to get a ‘real job’.  In 2005 he started his medical degree at Hull York Medical School.  He loved Yorkshire and stayed in the area after graduation, moving to Whitby as it was half way between his job at Scarborough Hospital and his wife's in Middlesbrough.  Having fallen for Whitby, Dave was delighted to become a partner at Whitby Group Practice in 2015.
Dr Paul Johnson MB, ChB, DCH, FPCert, MRCGP, FRCGP; 1983 Manchester Dr Johnson is a GP trainer, teaches medical students and has a special interest in diabetes, research and computing.  He is an FRCGP (Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners) and is the Caldicott Guardian for the Practice.  Outside of the Practice he is the Associate Postgraduate Dean for Health Education England Yorkshire and the Humber, an RCGP CSA examiner and marshal and a RCGP Quality Assurance assessor. Paul came to Whitby Group Practice in 2000, after spending 13 years as a GP in Scotland.  Among the things that attracted him to Whitby were the opportunities that Whitby Community Hospital provides for the local GPs to continue to look after their patients in the Minor Injuries Unit or when they are admitted for rehabilitation or palliative care. He enjoys working with a great practice team and alongside fantastic community colleagues striving to deliver first class primary care services in a beautiful part of North Yorkshire.
Professor Terry McCormack MB, BS, DA(Eng), DRCOG, DFFP, MRCA; 1982 St Mary’s Hospital London Dr McCormack has a special interest in research, teaching, orthopaedics, joint injections and cardio-vascular medicine.  He also liaises with the Whitby Lifeboat crew and in 2016 received the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Gold Award.  He is an extensively published researcher, and in February 2016 was awarded the NIHR Clinical Research Network Award ‘Leading Commercial Trial Principal Investigator’ Recruitment Category 19. Dr McCormack is an Honorary Reader in Primary Care Medicine, Hull York Medical School and Honorary Teaching Fellow, Imperial College of Medicine, London.  He is editor of the British Journal of Cardiology and on the Editorial Board, Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease as well as being an.  He is an Expert Adviser NICE Centre for Clinical Practice and a member of both the Hypertension and Venous Thromboembolism Guideline Committees.
Dr Amanda Smart M.B., Ch.B., MRCGP.,D.A., F.P.C., D.C.H; 1985 Leeds Dr Smart’s interests include child health, palliative care and women's health.  As part of her additional qualifications in contraceptive care she fits contraceptive coils and implants. Outside work Amanda enjoys the beautiful moors and coast and maintains a small flock of sheep, chickens, a duck and two dogs.
Dr Carolyn Fisher MB, ChB, FPC; 1983 Manchester Dr Fisher is a salaried GP; she has a special interest in teaching, family planning, IT, women’s health and psychiatry. Carolyn loves the beautiful village she lives in, with its true sense of community.
Dr Phil Hughes MB. ChB (Leeds 1985), DCH, MRCGP Dr Hughes has followed his wife Dr Broadhurst to Whitby Group Practice. Originally from Liverpool he trained in Leeds and worked in West Yorkshire before coming to Scarborough to complete his training as a GP. He previously worked for over 27 years in a practice with high levels of deprivation. He is a Trainer in General Practice and also Honorary Senior Lecturer at Hull York Medical School.  Outside of work he enjoys walking and cycling on the moors, and particularly the birds and wildlife in the area. He is keen on photography. Aside from that he has a large garden and works at trying to reduce his impact on the environment by growing as much produce as possible.
Dr Anne Zhao MBChB (Leeds 2012), BSc (Hons) Dr Zhao was born in North Wales. She moved to Yorkshire in 2006 for University and has lived here ever since. She qualified from the University of Leeds and moved to Scarborough in 2014, where she completed her GP training. She loves living by the coast and joined Whitby Group Practice after previously working in a practice in Scarborough.
Dr Richard J Morgan MBChB (hons) Leeds 2012, BSc (hons) Dr Morgan qualified from the University of Leeds in 2012 and moved to Scarborough in 2014 to complete his GP training. Having worked as a GP in Scarborough, he recently joined Whitby Group Practice and is enjoying working in this beautiful part of the coast.

Our Nurse Practitioner, Maxine Atkinson Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Simon Derham, Maddie Butler & Anna Newham are fully trained to diagnose, treat and advise on:

• Asthma problems
• Abdominal pain / symptoms
• Eye problems
• Throat problems
• Thrush (candida) / urine infections (UTIs)
• Muscular or bony injuries and symptoms e.g. back pain
• Childhood high temperature
• Chest infections (upper RTIs)
• Headaches
• Ear problems
• Rashes / skin infections
• General or emergency contraception and advice
• Refer for further tests e.g. x-rays

Our newest team member is Alasdair Hutchison, Senior Clinical Pharmacist.

Alasdair works for both Whitby Group Practice, and Sleights and Sandsend Medical Practice. This is a new post, part of NHS England's Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice Programme, which will develop and grow over the coming months and help us address different aspects of patients' need. 

We are also supported by Mateusz Mol, Pharmacist.

Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals, having completed a four-year university degree and worked for a year under supervision. 

Practice Nursing Team 

Senior Practice Nurse: Mell Dunwell
7 Practice Nurses (RNs)
2 Research Nurses (RNs)
1 Clinical Support Worker
6 Healthcare Assistants (HCAs)
 

Our team of Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants are available from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm Monday to Friday. Later appointments can be arranged for certain clinics  and through Better Access; please ask one of our receptionists.

Practice Nurse Run Clinics are run by appointment in the nurse consulting rooms as follows:

• Diabetic Clinic
• Asthma Clinic 
• COPD Clinic
• Hypertension Clinic
• Coronary Heart Disease Clinic
• Treatment Monitoring Clinic 
• Cervical Smear Clinic 
• Cryotherapy Clinic 
• Family Planning Clinic including insertion & removal of subcutaneous contraception and coils.
• Immunisation Clinic 
• Foreign Travel Advice and Immunisation 
• Leg Ulcer Treatment Clinic 
• Stroke Clinic
• Sexual Health Clinic - Chlamydia Screening, Condom Distribution & Contraception Advice

Our Healthcare Team also offer

• New Patient Health Checks
• NHS health checks on patients aged 40-70 with no pre-existing conditions
• Smoking cessation advice
• Advice about healthy eating
• Weight management
• Drug monitoring

We also have an Outreach Service, and a Research Team.

District Nurses and Health Visitors are attached to the Practice.

Midwives are accessible through Whitby Community Hospital.

Training Practice
 
We are proud to be a well-established Training Practice. We often have medical students and trainee doctors working in the practice. You may have an appointment at the surgery or receive a home visit from them.  There is a good explanation of GP training on the BMA website.
 
GP Registrars
 
Fully qualified doctors, known as GP Registrars (or Specialty Trainees/GPST), complete the final stages of their General Practitioner training. The doctors are usually with us for six months, becoming an integral part of the practice team and an invaluable resource for patients.
 
You may be offered an appointment with a GP Registrar should your own doctor not be available. Please treat them as one of our team. All GP Registrar work is supervised by a Partner.
 
Feedback from patients regarding our GP Registrars has been overwhelmingly positive. We believe that achieving and maintaining Training Practice status enhances the quality of the medical care that we provide. It also enables patients to see a wider range of clinicians, whilst allowing the practice to benefit from the fresh ideas and approaches brought by young enthusiastic doctors.
 
You can of course still elect to see your regular doctor.
 
Foundation Year Two Doctors
 
We also train junior doctors in the second year of their postgraduate training. This is called Foundation Year Two (FY2). They will be attached to the practice for four months as part of a rotation of posts they undertake based in local hospitals. Some of them plan to train to be GPs but many will go on to training in another speciality such as surgery or paediatrics. They will work under the supervision of a Partner at all times. 
 
Our current Foundation Year 2 Junior Doctor is Dr Jennie Kusznir (Female Clinician)
 
Medical Students
 
Patients may also meet medical students in the surgery or accompanying the doctor on their calls. Students from Hull York Medical School and Imperial College London spend time with us during years 4 and 5 of their five years at university. It is very useful for them to gain experience meeting patients in the practice and at home. It helps them understand the impact of illness on peoples’ lives far better than they can achieve in hospitals. They are not qualified doctors and cannot prescribe. All their work with patients is supervised closely.
 
Video Recordings
 
A very important part of the training of doctors is to use videotaped recordings of consultations to assess the doctor’s competence and to help them develop their consultation skills. Video recordings of consultations are used for assessment and may be viewed outside the practice by assessors who do not know the doctor or the patient.
Every consultation that is video-recorded is done with informed consent.  We will ensure you understand beforehand that the recording is being made, the purposes for which it will be used, who will see it and how long it will remain in existence. You have the right to refuse. The tape is only seen by doctors and is erased as soon as the educational activity has been done. If you change your mind after a consultation the tape will be erased immediately.  No physical examinations are filmed. We are very grateful for our patients co-operating with this activity.
 
If you do not wish to be seen by a medical student or trainee doctor please inform the receptionist.

Our Non Clinical Team

Whitby Group Practice employs management and support staff to ensure the smooth running of the Practice.  Staffing covers both sites, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay, with many of the team working part time, achieving a great work life balance.

Practice Manager:       Alison Williams

Head of Operations:    Ness Dixon
Head Premises, Patient Liaison & HR Administration: Paula Heffernan
Head of Finance:        Mark Wakefield

5 Receptionists
4 Medical Secretaries
3 Records Clerks
1 Research Administrator
1 Summariser

1 Senior Dispenser
5 Dispensers

6 Housekeeping staff