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Practice Team

Doctors:

  • Dr Rowena Christmas MB, BS, FRCGP, DCH (London 1995).  

    Dr Christmas is the practice safeguarding lead and as Managing Partner is responsible for clinical governance and quality improvement in the practice.  She is Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Wales, as well as being Vice Chair of the Welsh Medical Committee who advise Welsh Government on medical matters, and Vice Chair of the Associated Medical Royal College of Wales.

  • Dr Carol Amos MA, MB, BS, FRCGP, DRCOG, DCH, DFSRH (London 1986).  Dr Amos has a long interest in undergraduate and graduate medical education. She has been a lecturer in Community Medicine at Manchester university and is our main lead for medical students at the practice from Cardiff and Swansea universities. She is a trainer for GPs in training and also for the Foundation programme for junior doctors and is involved in examining both with the universities and for the GMC, where she is also a member of the station management group for International Graduates' PLAB examinations. She is a GP Appraiser for Wales

  • Dr Lois Harris MBChB, MRCGP, DCH, DFFP (Bristol 1998)     

 

  • Dr Elizabeth Ormerod MB BCh, MRCGP, DFSRH, DRCOG, LoC SDI and IUT.  Dr Ormerod has a special interest in Women’s’ health, having spent some time doing obstetrics and gynaecology prior to becoming a GP. She is a registered coil and implant fitter, and has also obtained the advanced certificate in menopause care.

  • Dr Joanne Girdler BSC BM MRCGP DRCOG (Southampton 2009).  Dr Girdler enjoys all aspects of the job but particular areas of interest are elderly care and palliative care.  She also enjoys teaching. 

  • Dr Soumya Pandalai, GP Registrar ST3

 

We are a training Practice and so you may meet one of our Doctors specialising in General Practice, or a Medical Student from Cardiff or Swansea Medical Schools. 

Nurses:  

  • Simone McCartney,  Lead Practice Nurse.  RN (Adult), BSc (Hons) in Clinical Practice, Independent Prescriber.  Simone qualified as a nurse in 1990 and worked in neonatal intensive care, district nursing and chronic disease management before becoming a Practice Nurse.  She has diplomas in both COPD and diabetes management and used to teach X-PERT diabetes structured education.  Since joining the practice, she has gained qualification in Minor Illness and became a prescriber in her own right in Summer 2021.                 

                                                 

  • Kathryn Brown RGN

  • Kim Oliver RGN

We encourage all our patients to share the responsibility for their health, both in preventing disease and treating existing conditions and we have a team of highly trained and experienced nurses who will be happy to discuss your general health with you.  They can offer advice on many issues and between them have specialist training in the management of chronic diseases, stopping smoking, minor illnesses and telephone triage. 

 

Watch this video to find out more about the role of Practice Nurses: Roles - ENG Landscape - Practice Nurse v2 on Vimeo

Health Care Assistants:

  • Ruth Holder 

  • Kimberlie Pugh

Our HCAs provide support to the Doctors and Practice Nurses.  They hold regular surgery sessions for routine blood tests, INR, spirometry and some other clinical investigations, as well as new patient checks (well woman/well man).

Dispensing Team:

  • Jane McCallion
  • Nicola Currie
  • Alison Neale
  • Lynne Finch
  • Marilyn Jones
  • Vicky Jones
  • Maureen Allen

Practice Management Team:

  • Dr Viv Kent

  • Liffy Biddle (Assistant Practice Manager)
  • Julie Ward (Accounts Administrator)

Management and financial matters are the responsibility of Dr Viv Kent.  Viv will be happy to speak to you on any matter relating to the Practice and is particularly keen to receive new ideas, comments or criticisms about the way the Practice provides its services.  

Reception, Secretarial and Administration Team:

  • Hannah White (Senior Practice Secretary)
  • Lisa Bird (Support Practice Secretary)
  • Marge Matthews (Support Practice Secretary)
  • Helen Thackway (Support Practice Secretary)

 

  • Kerry Bevan (Lead Receptionist)
  • Carole Tremlett (Receptionist)
  • Karen Bourner  (Receptionist)
  • Anais Cartwright (Receptionist)
  • Ashley Sandford (Receptionist & Administrator)
  • Avril Dowle (Receptionist)
  • Melanie Shiplee (Senior Medical Administrator)

Our experienced staff have been trained to deal professionally, efficiently and sensitively with personal and clinical information.  Everyone is here to help you. 

Psychological Health Practitioners:

  • Anushka Mirando

Anushka is available for appointments by and face-to-face sessions within 2 weeks of a crisis event or call for support, by referral from a clinician or your own self-referral.  Please ask at reception.  PHPs can help patients experiencing low mood, anxiety, trauma reaction, grief reaction and substance abuse presenting as self-medication related to mild - moderate distress. 

Watch this video to find out more about the role of PHPs: Roles - ENG Landscape - Psychological Health Practitioner PHP v1 on Vimeo

Dietician:

Currently referrals are to the ABUHB weight management service.  This can be by referral by Doctor, Nurse or HCA, but patients can self-refer and book straightaway. 

District Nursing Service:

The District Nursing Teams from your local area, working closely with the Doctors, provide nursing care at home for the long-term sick, the elderly unwell and those who are housebound. 

Maternity Care Midwives:

A team of Midwives is attached to the Practice to provide antenatal and post-natal care. They work closely with the Doctors and Health Visitor to look after mothers before and after the birth and to advise on the care of the new born baby.  When you become pregnant you will need to make an appointment to see your midwife at the surgery.  Midwife led antenatal clinics are held weekly on a Wednesday in St Briavels surgery by the Gloucestershire team and on alternate Thursdays at Trellech surgery by the Gwent team. The midwife will provide you with information on blood screening tests and will discuss with you where you would prefer to have your baby.  Following the birth the Doctor will, if required, visit you at home when your baby is between 5 and 7 days old to check that you are both recovering well from the birth. 

Health Visiting, Baby Clinics and Developmental Check Services:

Health Visitors visit all families with children under the age of five and provides information, advice support to all age groups with special emphasis on the needs of children.  All families with a new baby will be contacted by a Health Visitor between 10 to 14 days following the birth.  The Health Visitors and Nursery Nurses run monthly Child Health Clinic at each of St Briavels (Gloucestershire team) and Trellech (Gwent Team) surgeries. Please see Health Visiting Forest of Dean > Glos Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust (ghc.nhs.uk) for dates and times. The team will visit St Briavels surgery on the first Tuesday of each month between 09:30 and 11:30, and Trellech surgery on third Tuesday of each month between 09:30 and 12:00.  Please note this is by appointment only so please call 0300 4218746 or 0300 4218693 to book in advance.  We are not able to book you in via our reception teams.  

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