Bertie ‘the bridge’ – Parish Magazine article March 2018
The closure of Thorverton Bridge for two weeks in January made us all aware of just how distant patients can be if easy communication links are broken. Suddenly 20 minute visits were taking up to 90 minutes of a GP day as we made the long journey via Cowley Bridge. The District Nurses had to restructure their whole team working: dividing at 9am into two deployable units for each side of the bridge. Occasionally they arranged to rendezvous on foot in the middle of the bridge (as if in a spy thriller) to exchange dressings.
The feeling of being cut off is unsettling and this worked both ways for patients, doctors and nurses during this time. It reminded us at the surgery that this problem is a daily experience for all those patients who are housebound, no matter where they live. It highlighted the difficulties of not being able to jump in a car to carry out an errant whether it be for a pint of milk or to pick up a prescription or simply pop in to see a friend. It is essential to maximize the utility of such trips when they become so valuable. Those who are fit and mobile always have the option of going out again but also take for granted the huge social benefits that these journeys provide. We were all very happy to see the bridge reopened.
‘Bertie’ our prescription delivery service was in its element during this period. Our volunteer drivers rose to the challenge and the temporary loss of the bridge was overcome with panache. However this also reminded us once again that Bertie is a lot more than a drug delivery system. The service has now been running for 12 years and is funded by The Friends of Wyndham House. There are on average 300 patients receiving regular delivery of their medication with 1200 prescriptions being delivered every month. Jan Topham coordinates the service and is always on the look out for new volunteer drivers. If you are able to spare a morning every few weeks to help run the Bertie Service it would be an offer gratefully received not just by those housebound patients who directly benefit but by the whole community. Everyone is now in no doubt that the bridge to Thorverton is an essential part of our communication infrastructure. Likewise on a daily basis at the surgery we see communications about patients via Bertie helping doctors, nurses, reception and dispensary staff provide them more effective care and so also freeing up time for other patients as well. Good communication links are a benefit to everyone and we are in no doubt that Bertie is an invaluable bridge between the surgery and our frailer patients.
Anthony O’Brien