Practice Profile

The Town

The practice is based in Guisborough, a market town on the northern border of the North Yorkshire Moors. It is about six miles from the coast and has excellent road links. The population is about twenty thousand, who live in a mixture of old town housing and more modern estates including a recent development of executive housing.

There are excellent primary and secondary schools and an acclaimed Sixth-form college. There is a full range of social and sporting clubs and organisations.

The Practice History

Throughout the history of "Guisborough, Ancient Capital of Cleveland", there have been recordings of physicians who lived and practised in the town, the earliest being Bernard, Physician of York in 1154.

A previous partner, Dr Stainthorpe J.P. lived in Sunnyfield House in Westgate which he also ran as a nursing home for private patients (doctors were obviously wealthier in those days!). The surgery moved to a new Health Centre in 1971. It has continued to develop and finally moved in November 2001 to its present purpose built premises.

Dr David Hobkirk, the present Senior Partner, joined as partner in 1976. Dr Nicola Thomas joined the practice in 1994 and Dr Angela Halloway in 1997. March 2003 saw the arrival of Dr Sarah Lee, followed by Dr Katherine Anthony, who joined in April 2004. The newest addition to the partnership is Dr Julie-anne Birch, who joined in April 2006

The Practice list size is currently in the region of 8300.

Friends of the Health Centre

We were fortunate to have had an energetic group of "Friends of Springwood Surgery” who would hold coffee mornings to raise money for the purchase of medical equipment for the Practice.

Over the last 10 years they raised the magnificent sum of £25,000.

This has all been put to good use on items such as a £5,000 ECG machine, 20 nebulisers that we loan to patients, 10 electronic BP machines also to loan to patients, 5 tens machines, a pulse oximeter, an electronic spirometer.

Sadly, the driving forces of the “Friends” have retired and we are currently seeking to re-establish a more formal “Patient Participation Group” for the practice.

Community Hospital

We have an excellent community hospital within the town being Guisborough General Hospital. It consists of a minor casualty department, GP unit with in-patient beds, consulting suites for visiting consultants and a midwife-run maternity unit with modern delivery suites and postnatal wards.