History of the Practice
The practice has a long history dating back to 1930 when it was founded by Dr Lewis Lindsay at premises on Rocky Hill in Tavistock.

In 1980 the practice moved to new surgery premises which were built at Abbey Rise on the site of the old Tavistock railway station. The railway cutting can still be seen behind the surgery. The surgery building was extended in 1995 to provide facilities for new consulting rooms.

Tavistock South Railway Station

The Practice Today
Stannary Surgery is a general medical practice and there are now four General Practitioners working in partnership together with one salaried General Practitioner and a Registrar. The Practice is also committed to the training of general practitioners. The team also includes Practice Nurses, Health Visitor, District Nurses, Midwife, Chiropodist, Physiotherapist, Secretarial and Administrative Staff and a team of Receptionists.

Aims of the Practice
At Stannary Surgery we work with other health professionals to provide an up-to-date, caring and confidential general practice, based on the highest ethical standards. At a time of great change in the NHS, we wish to retain the traditional virtues of a family doctor based health service.

We seek to keep abreast of developments in treatment and management of health problems and we will refer you to a consultant for an opinion and treatment whenever appropriate. Through education and training for all staff we ensure a continuing high standard of medical care.

By advising on life style and by targeting those patients with special needs, we hope to promote better health in the future for our patients. We are committed to the pursuit of excellence and fully support our Patient’s Charter.

General Practitioner Training
The Practice has two General Practitioner Trainers, Dr Vicky Evans and Dr Sarah Robbins, working with qualified doctors as part of their ongoing training to become General Practitioners. These doctors are known as General Practitioner Registrars and are making the transition from hospital to general practice. They normally spend up to twelve months with us and during this period they are ‘supervised’ by their experienced General Practitioner Trainer.

In recent years we have forged a close relationship with the Royal Navy and have invited RN Doctors to train within the Practice, under the tutelage of Dr Evans and Dr Sarah Robbins, thereby providing the opportunity to qualify as a General Practitioner.

Videoing of Consultations
	As part of the examination process, General Practitioner Registrars are required to provide video evidence of their detailed medical knowledge and consultation techniques. To do this they must submit video taped examples to an examiner for assessment. Once they have been assessed these tapes are erased or destroyed.
You will be asked at reception beforehand to sign a document to confirm you are agreeable to being videoed whilst you are consulting the doctor. The video will simply be running in the background while you talk to the doctor and it will be switched off if you are to be examined. Most patients tell us that after the first few minutes they tend to forget it’s running! After the appointment, you have the opportunity to either restate you are still happy, or to say that you have changed your mind and wish it to be immediately erased. We will always be happy to do this, especially if you feel that what was talked about was personal to you and the doctor. Never feel awkward about saying that you have changed your mind.

Medical Students
The Practice is also involved in the training of medical students who may on occasion be present, with your permission, during consultations.

Again please don’t feel awkward about this, it is perfectly in order to insist on a confidential consultation with your doctor.

April 2008
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