Practice Staff
Practice Staff
Doctors
Dr Barbara Palmer (f)
BA MBBS (Newcastle 1983) DRCOG FP Cert DFFP, Dip Ther
Barbara has been with the practice since 1988. She offers a full range of general practice care to her patients. She has a special interest in diabetes, in child care including safeguarding and in ensuring high quality care is delivered to all individuals especially those less able to access effectively or at the end of life.
Dr Martin Heardman (m)
MB ChB (Glasgow 1987) MRCGP FP Cert
Martin has been a partner with the practice since 1993. He offers general practice care and has an interest in men's health, blood pressure treatment, prevention of heart disease, joint injection procedures and skin diseases.
Dr Karen Bisset (f)
MBBS (Newcastle 1995) MRCGP RCGP
Karen joined the practice in November 2010 having worked as a GP since 2000. She offers a full range of general practice care. She is a GP trainer, appraiser and tutor. Karen also has an interest in respiratory health.
Dr Louise Duncan (f)
MBBS (Newcastle 1991) DCH Cert DFFP MRCGP
Louise has been working as a GP since 1998. She provides general care and has a particular interest in children's, teenager's and woman's health. She fits contraceptive implants and intra-uterine devices (coils), as does Dr Palmer.
Dr Lorna Longworth (f)
MBChB MRCP nMRCGP
Lorna joined the practice in 2011. She previously worked in Benwell. She currently works part time. She enjoys dealing with the wide variety of conditions seen in an average day. Her particular interests include care of elderly patients. She works with other team members to co-ordinate the Patient Participation Group and also has a role in the local CCG.
Reception
Our reception team can provide basic information on services and results and direct you to the right person depending on your health issue or query. They also perform other important tasks such as dealing with medication queries, patient records and carrying out searches and practice audits.
Healthcare Assistants
Healthcare assistants support practice nurses with their daily work and carry out tasks such as phlebotomy (drawing blood), blood pressure measurement and new patient checks. They may act as a chaperone when a patient or doctor requests one.
Mrs Tracy Huitson - Practice Manger
Tracy Huitson, Practice Manager for West Road Medical Centre, has the responsibility of making sure the practice provides high standards of care to patients, and of managing the business on behalf of the GP partners. Tracy is committed to making services accessible and welcoming to all members of the community, and to providing high standards of customer care. She is passionate about listening to patient's views to ensure the practice is forward thinking and tailored to local needs.
Nurses
Nurses have a key role to play in the continuing development of the services offered by the practice and in a wider context within the NHS. Our own team of nurses are invaluable and have a wide range of roles and skills. We have three highly qualified registered nurses at the practice and the support of district nurses and healthcare assistants for patients who are housebound.
The practice nurses hold clinics each weekday mornings and afternoons. Clinics are by appointment, but the nurses are willing to see any appropriate emergencies or give advice over the phone.