MORE new doctors and nursing staff have been welcomed at the Riverside Medical Practice in Musselburgh.

Dr Anne Money, one of the surgery’s ST3s (fully qualified doctors in final year of speciality training), is joining the team permanently when she finishes her training in September.

She will be replaced as an ST3 by Dr Jeffery Scott next month; as a training practice, Riverside patients receive care from ST3s every year in addition to the permanent GP team.

Dr Hannah Astle, who has been a locum with the practice, also now joins on a permanent basis, with Dr Lucy Milner starting shortly afterwards.

They join Dr Maeve Chestnutt and Dr Michael Slowey, whom the Riverside welcomed to the GP team earlier in the year.

Dr Richard Fairclough, GP partner, said: “At a challenging time to recruit GPs, when more GPs are leaving the Scottish workforce every year than there are new GPs entering it, it’s wonderful to see so many doctors choosing to work at Riverside this year.

“We still have two doctors due to rejoin us this year after maternity leave and are still recruiting for one further GP – we have locum cover for all in the meantime. That will then see us fully staffed and we hope that, come the autumn, our patients will really benefit from the care offered by these new additions to our already-strong clinical team.”

A third nurse practitioner, Arran Gillis, has joined the surgery’s call room, supporting nurses Chris Gent and Sarah Miller to triage calls, along with two new call handlers.

“This is good news for patients,” said Dr Fairclough.

He added: “We will continue to work with our partners at East Lothian Health & Social Care Partnership, our MSP, East Lothian Council, community councils and our own Patient Participation Group to drive the wider health system changes that are due to happen in Musselburgh – as we believe it’s these changes which will finally result in the primary care needs of the community being met.”