A RECRUITMENT drive at Musselburgh’s Riverside Medical Practice – one of the biggest in Scotland, with about 19,000 patients – is “progressing well”, with new doctors, nurses and call handlers joining the team.

Two new GPs, two nurse practitioners and two new call handlers have taken up jobs at the surgery since the start of the year, with a further GP due to arrive in the summer and two GPs due to return from maternity leave.

Recruitment for one more GP is ongoing, with a fresh recruitment push due to launch shortly to coincide with new GPs entering the workplace as their training comes to an end.

Dr Richard Kitto, a long-standing doctor at the practice, has been made a GP partner.

The Courier has previously reported that the practice has come under fire from frustrated patients who have complained about difficulties contacting it to secure appointments.

Commenting on the recruitment drive, Dr Richard Fairclough, GP partner, said: “We must stress to all of our patients and stakeholders in the local community that this remains an exceptionally busy time for general practices all over the country. Our successful recruitment is good news but we’re now – with the exception of one GP, a nurse practitioner and the further call handlers – at the limit of the number of people we can employ at the practice; yet we estimate that demand for appointments will still outweigh our capacity to provide them.”

He explained: “We must therefore continue to stress the urgent need for the full implementation of the 2018 GMS Contract, which lays out the various types of care due to be removed from the remit of general practice, in order to allow GPs to provide the expert medical care to the local community that we so desperately want to be able to do.”

He added: “This is widely recognised to be a challenging time to recruit GPs, with more GPs leaving the Scottish workforce each year than new GPs entering it.

“So given this, we’re especially delighted to welcome our two new GPs to the practice. Dr Maeve Chestnutt joined us from the Forth Valley Practice in March after relocating to East Lothian and Dr Michael Slowey has joined us last week from a practice in Sussex after locuming with us for a short time.”

He continued: “We’d also like to extend warm congratulations to Dr Kitto, who joins myself, Dr Cameron and Dr Stenke as a GP partner.”

Dr Fairclough said: “Theirs aren’t the only new faces at the practice this year. Senior nurse practitioner Chris Gent has joined us as clinical manager from NHS 24, bringing his considerable clinical and operational experience to Riverside, along with nurse practitioner Sarah Miller.

“Finally, we’re so pleased to welcome a further two new call handlers to our reception team, with more to follow shortly. Being a GP receptionist is such a challenging role, requiring a deep knowledge of how the surgery works, as well as calmness under pressure, and outstanding customer service skills. We know our two new recruits are going to make a great contribution to our now 12-strong reception team.”