Port Isaac Surgery

03/02/2026

Port Isaac Practice & Bridge Medical Centre:

🌟 Important Update About Our Phone Appointments 🌟

To help us provide safer, more accurate care, we will soon be using Automated Voice Transcription (AVT) during some phone calls and appointments.

What is AVT?

AVT securely records and transcribes the conversation so clinicians can focus fully on you, while ensuring important details aren’t missed.

If your call is being recorded for AVT, we will always let you know at the start of the conversation, and you can choose whether you’re happy to continue.

Your privacy matters to us, and all recordings are handled safely and in line with NHS data protection standards.

If you have any questions, please get in touch. 💬

03/02/2026

Port Isaac Practice & Bridge Medical Centre:

🌟 A Huge Thank You to Our Amazing Team! 🌟

We’ve taken a look at our latest telephone stats, and we are so proud of how hard our staff are working to support our patients every day.

📞 4,556 inbound calls this period – and an incredible 94.1% were answered from the queue, with an average wait of just 1 minute 56 seconds. Absolutely brilliant work!

📤 On top of that, the team made 4,951 outbound calls, with 89.2% successfully connected.

We know 10–11am is our busiest time for incoming calls (thanks, dispensary!) and 9–10am for outgoing calls – and our staff handle those peaks with professionalism and kindness every single day.
To every member of the team: thank you for your hard work, patience, and commitment.

These numbers show just how much you do behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly for our patients. 💙

You’re all stars ⭐ Thank you

Total inbound calls - 4,556 (3,529 – 77.45% Queued)
Answered from the queue - 3322 (94.1%)
Average queue time answered - 1m 56s
Average inbound talk time - 2m 12s

Total outbound calls attempted - 4951,
Total outbound calls connected 4,414 (89.2%)
Average outbound talk time - 3m 08s

Patients who hung up without waiting - 1,019 (22.4%) - average time they waited before hanging up - 50s.

Callbacks requested - 9
Callbacks successful - 7
Callbacks unsuccessful - 2

10-11am is busiest for calls in (probably the dispensary)
9 - 10am is busiest for outgoing calls

94.1% answered from the queue in an average of 1m 56s is brilliant thank you

29/01/2026

📣 Announcement: Dr Sandra Barfield’s Retirement

Dr Sandra Barfield will be retiring after many years of valued service at the practice. We know that many patients may wish to share a message to mark her retirement and acknowledge her long-standing contribution to the community.

As the saying goes, “Retirement is not the end of the road, it is the beginning of an open highway.”

We hope this reflects the new chapter Dr Barfield is about to begin.

To support those who would like to leave a message, message books are available at both of our surgery sites. These provide a dedicated space for patients to write any comments or well‑wishes they would like to pass on.

If you would like to contribute, please ask at Reception for the message.

Thank you for taking a moment to add your message as we mark this transition

27/01/2026

Under Jess’s Rule, GP teams are encouraged to critically re-evaluate a diagnosis if a patient presents 3 times with the same or escalating symptoms or concerns.

Implementing Jess’s Rule will support GP teams to manage patients with unclear symptoms, helping to improve quality of care and potentially saving lives by avoiding missed or delayed diagnosis of more serious conditions such as cancer or sepsis.

Under Jess’s Rule, listening carefully to a patient’s symptoms and concerns remain crucial, recognising they are an expert in their own body.

More information: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/jesss-rule-three-strikes-and-we-rethink/

21/01/2026

Port Isaac Practice & Bridge Medical Centre:

💙 Retirement Announcement

After 20 years of dedicated service as a Partner at Port Isaac Practice, Dr Barfield will be retiring on 31 March 2026.

Dr Barfield has been an incredibly valued member of our team and a much loved GP to generations of patients.

Her compassion, professionalism and unwavering commitment to patient care have made a lasting difference to our community, and she will be greatly missed by both colleagues and patients alike.

We would like to thank Dr Barfield for her outstanding dedication and wish her a long, happy and well deserved retirement. 💐

Please join us in sending her your very best wishes.

19/01/2026

Port Isaac Practice/Bridge Medical Centre:

North Cornwall Coast Primary Care Network are seeking a dedicated PCN Pharmacy Technician to join our healthcare team. The ideal candidate will play a vital role in supporting pharmacy operations within a clinical setting, ensuring accurate medication dispensing, patient safety, and efficient pharmacy services. This position offers an opportunity to work in a dynamic environment focused on patient care, medication management, and clinical support across various care settings.

North Cornwall Coast PCN

14/01/2026

North Cornwall Coast PCN:

North Cornwall Coast PCN are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented PCN Care Co-Ordinator to join our healthcare team.

The ideal candidate will play a vital role in coordinating patient care within the Primary Care Network (PCN), ensuring seamless communication and efficient management of patient services.

This position offers an opportunity to contribute to improved patient outcomes through effective care coordination and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

The PCN Care Co-Ordinator will be responsible for managing patient appointments, supporting clinical staff, and facilitating access to healthcare resources.

Strong organisational skills, excellent communication abilities, and a compassionate approach are essential for success in this role.

To apply please follow the link below:

North Cornwall Coast PCN

14/01/2026

Port Isaac Practice/Bridge Medical Centre:

We are inviting you to get involved to help the South West deliver on its commitment to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/2025/11/12/how-you-can-help-the-south-west-eliminate-cervical-cancer/

12/01/2026

Port Isaac Practice & Bridge Medical Centre:

December 2025 telephone statistics:

📞 How we’re doing on the phones – a quick update for our patients

We know how important it is to be able to speak to us when you need to, so we wanted to share a snapshot of how our phone service is performing:

✅ 4,298 incoming calls received
• 74.6% were placed into the queue
• 94.5% of queued calls were answered
• Average waiting time before answering: 1 minute 57 seconds
• Average call length: 2 minutes 16 seconds

📤 Outgoing calls
• 5,090 calls attempted
• 88.9% successfully connected
• Average call length: 2 minutes 53 seconds

📞 Missed calls
• 24.6% of callers hung up before being answered
• Average wait before hanging up: 47 seconds

🔁 Callbacks
• 9 callbacks requested
• 8 successfully completed

⏰ Busiest times
• 10–11am is our busiest time for incoming calls
• 9–10am is our busiest time for outgoing calls

👏 A huge thank you to our team – answering 94.5% of calls from the queue in under 2 minutes is brilliant and reflects their hard work every day.

💡 Patient tip:
If your query isn’t urgent, calling outside our busiest times (before 10am or after 11am) may help you get through more quickly. You can also help by having key information ready when you call, such as your date of birth or medication details.

💙 Thank you to our patients for your patience and understanding while we continue to improve our service.

12/01/2026

Port Isaac Practice & Bridge Medical Centre:

Due to staff shortages across the practice today, we are currently providing an emergency‑only service.

We kindly ask that you contact us or complete the online triage form only if your request is urgent.

Thank you very much for your patience and understanding.