I do like to be beside the seaside

Released 24/04/2009

by Matt Jane

Matthew Jane visits a pioneering practice on the English Riviera

The air was still, filled with the sound of seagulls shouting at passers by, heckling them for chips, and sunglasses were a necessity to block out the midday sun in the cloudless sky.

This was the picturesque scene that greeted me this week when I arrived on the south coast to meet with pioneering practice manager, Josiane Wadey, in the town of Worthing.

It was a truly inspirational visit, which you will be able to read about in Practice Business in a later issue. Having been involved in setting up a unique care service that integrates all care providers from social workers to practice receptionists, Josiane has a lot of good advice and experience to impart on other practice managers.

It was a really uplifting experience, not least because the coastal setting offered my lungs a welcome respite from the London air, but the practice is going to some extraordinary lengths to help their patients, who in turn are responding positively and taking some proactive measures to improve their own quality of life.

I was told the story of an elderly couple of friends in their late 80s who between them have taken on a responsibility to care for each other. One had very poor eyesight and the other suffered from poor hearing - they were a real example of Jack Spratt and his wife, who together were overcoming their difficulties.

It was a great visit and I think it will prove an inspirational piece. The team at the practice were really encouraging. And the ice cream I sneaked in on the promenade wasn't too bad either!

If anyone else has a story to tell or a practice they want to highlight, do let me know and I'd love to come and visit you.

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