Staff at a York care home have sung the praises of their GP practice, calling their local surgery a ‘lifeline’.
The care team at Ebor Court, which is operated by Ideal Care Homes, said they never felt on their own throughout the pandemic and knew that support was only a phone call away.
Susie Carman, lifestyle manager at the Nether Poppleton was proud to be amongst the first in the country to receive Covid vaccinations, again thanks to their local GP practice.
Susie and Ebor Court care manager Sharon Conarty presented the team at The Old Forge Surgery, which is based in Upper Poppleton, with a hamper to say thank you.
Sharon said: “We want to say a big thank you to Dr James, Dr Jennings, Dr Anderton, nurse Kirsty McArdle and all of the surgery staff for their help and hard work over the last couple of years. The surgery has been a huge life line for Ebor Court care home during the pandemic.
“The dedication and professionalism of the team at The Old Forge helped to lighten our workload, at a time when we knew they were also very stretched.”
Angela Mueller, deputy manager, Ebor Court, said: “During the first lockdown when there was a lot of uncertainty around the pandemic, our residents always felt that there was someone there to help with any questions and to provide reassurance, even though they could not see a doctor or nurse in person.
“The surgery has been fantastic. During the height of the pandemic when the home was closed, they made themselves completely available to us.
“We would normally have had a weekly face-to-face surgery with a doctor here at Ebor Court. But we soon found that video call consultations also worked very well for residents
“If there were any other issues we had at any other time all we had to do was call.
“This has continued throughout. We know how very busy they have been and their hard work has been very much appreciated. We are now back to regular face-to-face visits from the surgery.”
Andrea Lonsdale, receptionist, The Old Forge, said: “The past couple of years have been challenging for us, and for so many other practices, so it was lovely to be appreciated in this way.
“I thought the hamper was a wonderful gesture. It was beautifully presented and we all enjoyed it very much.”
Ebor Court is a purpose built luxury residential and dementia care home operated by Ideal Carehomes. With 64 ensuite bedrooms, it has landscaped gardens and a full and varied activities programme. It is rated good by the Care Quality Commission.