Doctor launches Deben Private GP Services in Woodbridge

GP Charlotte Ridout has joined forces with nurse Amanda Snelling to launch Deben Private GP Services in Woodbridge.

"Everyone loves the NHS - it's just a bit broken," said Dr Ridout. "We just feel really sad that the NHS is being pushed into a corner and because of that there's an obvious need for our services."

The pair and their two families of three "bubbled up" during the Covid pandemic as they were co-workers in the NHS.

It was then that they hatched a plan to form a private practice after becoming disenchanted with the pressures in the NHS.

It meant that increasingly they were only seeing the most complex cases rather than getting to know their patients - and even then time with patients was very limited, explained Dr Ridout.

"The more time we spent together the more we felt we wanted to work together and we wanted to give local residents more of an option, because the options were diminishing during Covid and are diminishing now.

"Just over a year ago I said to Amanda either we are going to stop talking about it or we are going to do it and here we are today."

The practice was officially launched at Deben Mill Business Centre on Thursday, October 26, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  The aim will be to provide each patient with a 30-minute appointment at the start.

"We can get all that medical history down and getting to know the patient and treating anything they need to treat," said Dr Ridout.

So far, the reaction from prospective patients has been positive. "Patients we have spoken to are so thankful to have an option outside the NHS because sometimes something is worrying them and they can't see their GPs or nurse for five or six days and here they will."

The GP - who lives in Melton and went to Woodbridge School then Dundee University - returned to Suffolk to bring up her daughter and always wanted to specialise in general practice.

She initially gained a degree in anatomy and physiology and worked in London before studying for her medical qualifications. She trained at Guys, King's and St Thomas's hospitals in London, and worked in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

After returning to Suffolk, she worked as a salaried GP at Framlingham, Wickham Market and Saxmundham surgeries. She still works for Leiston surgery two days a week.

"It's a very hard job. You get pressures and the struggles of the NHS," she said.

Despite the pressures, the people who kept the service going were "lovely", she said.

"Everyone I have worked for I have remained friends with. They are lovely people but you can see them all falling to pieces now," she said.

Since Covid, the pressures have mounted. "It's relentless. It's long hours, it's pressured. As a patient it's really hard to see someone and tell them how you are feeling," she said.

"I love the NHS - we both love the NHS - which is why we feel really saddened that actually the private world is taking off but in some sense, we are going to be ahead of the wave.

"NHS England are putting so much pressure on GP partners to amalgamate their surgeries. Often it's surgeries that have been competitors and therefore haven't actually liked each other. They are telling them to join now which is really only going to end in tears."

She added: "Satisfaction in the job is so sadly low now people are not choosing it (GP practice) as their specialism.

"The government is saying we are getting 5,000 GPs - we are losing 5,000 GPs. Wickham Market is losing partners and Saxmundham is losing partners and GPs are retiring early because of the pressure of the job."

She has found a lack of patient continuity because of these pressures. "That's essentially what we want to bring in. We want friendly atmosphere and easy access because it's absolutely key."