Dr Graham Bird BSc (Hons) MBChB DRCOG (Male)
Partner - Qualified in Liverpool in 1986 and joined the Practice in 1998. He has a special interest in Thoracic Medicine.
Modern general practice is delivered by a mixed portfolio of healthcare professionals supporting the doctors. With the development of Primary Care Networks the team will further expand to clinicians such as Mental health Practitioners and Physiotherapists in the future.
GP Partners
Dr Bird and Dr Kassha are also partners in the practice. This means they are owners of the business that is contracted to provide General Medical Services under contract to the NHS. As well as seeing patients the Partners have to make time to look after the management and administration of the practice.
Salaried GPs
One of our GPs is a salaried GP. Salaried GPs are permanent members of the clinical team but do not have their own list of registered patients.
Practice Nurses
General Practice Nurses are a vital part of our primary healthcare team. Our practice nurses will be involved in almost every aspect of patient care and treatment, undertaking such tasks as:
- Helping people manage long term conditions such as diabetes, asthma and COPD
- Health screening
- Family planning
- Running vaccination programmes
- Administering child immunisations
The role allows nurses to develop long term relationships with individuals and families, managing their conditions and improving physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Watch a short video produced by NHS called 'A Day in The Life of a Practice Nurse'
Health Care Assistants (HCA)
The role of HCA is evolving in the NHS workforce but they have long been a central part of the healthcare team at Drs Bird and Kassha. Supplementing and supporting the work of the practice nurses they carry out a wide range of tasks which includes.
- Phlebotomy
- Diagnostic tests such as ECG
- Administering some vaccinations and immunisations
- Conducting reviews with people with long term conditions such as diabetes
- Health reviews and the provision of lifestyle advice
Watch a short video produced by the NHS called 'A Day in The Life of a Health Care Assistant'
Junior Doctors /Trainee Doctors
Medical graduates enter the medical workforce as ‘junior doctors’ on a two year work based training
programme. This is known as the ‘foundation programme’ and is the first level of clinical training for qualified doctors that bridges the gap between medical school and specialty training.
The foundation programme is carried out in hospitals and the two years are often referred to as ‘FY1’ (foundation year one) or ‘FY2’ (foundation year two) by medical staff, and as such, junior doctors on the foundation programme may introduce themselves to patients as an ‘FY1’ or ‘FY2’ doctor. Foundation Stage 2 Doctors complete a four-month rotation in General Practice and work under the supervision of our experienced GPs.
Completion of FY1 allows junior doctors to gain full registration with the GMC and completion of FY2 allows them to apply for further study and training in a specialised area of medicine such as general practice.
Typically the speciality trainee (ST) doctors that work at the surgery and are in the third and final year of their qualification to be a GP and are known as ST3 doctors and also, sometimes, as Registrars.