Widcombe Surgery

22/10/2026

🎉 FINISHING SCHOOL OR COLLEGE? LOOKING FOR YOUR FIRST JOB?

🌟 We're looking for an apprentice to join our team!

Not sure what you want to do next? Want to start earning money while gaining qualifications and experience?

We're looking for a friendly, enthusiastic person to join us at Widcombe Surgery in Bath as a Business and Administration Apprentice.

You don't need previous experience – just a positive attitude, a willingness to learn and an interest in working with people.

💼 What can you expect?

✅ Get paid while you learn
✅ Gain a recognised qualification
✅ Work alongside a friendly, supportive team
✅ Build confidence and develop valuable skills
✅ Discover the different career opportunities available within the NHS

Some of our previous apprentices have gone on to train as nurses and pharmacy technicians, so this could be the first step towards a really rewarding career!

📍 Widcombe Surgery, Bath

👉 Interested? Find out more and apply here:

We’ve introduced a new way to find and apply for an apprenticeship in England.

19/10/2026

🏥 Introducing Smarter Questions – Improving How You Contact Us Online!

We're always looking for ways to improve access to care and make our online consultation service easier for patients to use.

We've introduced Smarter Questions, a new AI-powered feature within our Accurx online consultation system.

🤖 So, what exactly does this mean?

When you contact us online about a medical problem, artificial intelligence (AI) may ask you some additional questions based on the symptoms you've described.

Rather than asking everyone the same questions, the system can tailor its questions to your particular health concern.

💡 Here's an example of how it works:

Imagine you're contacting us because you've had a cough for several days.

Previously, you might simply have entered:

"I've had a cough for five days and it's not getting any better."

With Smarter Questions, the system might then ask:

🔹 Are you coughing up any phlegm?

🔹 Have you had a temperature?

🔹 Are you experiencing any shortness of breath?

🔹 Have your symptoms been getting worse?

These additional questions help our GP's build a clearer picture of your symptoms before reviewing your request.

The questions will vary depending on the information you provide.

✅ What are the benefits?

Better information – Helps our GP's understand your symptoms more clearly from the outset.

Fewer delays – Reduces the need for us to contact you to gather additional information.

More effective triage – Helps us identify the most appropriate care for your needs.

A more efficient service – Allows our team to spend less time gathering information and more time helping patients.

👩‍⚕️ Does AI make decisions about my healthcare?

No. Smarter Questions simply helps us collect relevant information.

Every medical request continues to be reviewed by our GP's, who decide what care or advice is most appropriate.

📱 Do I need to do anything differently?

Not at all! Simply continue submitting your medical requests through our website as you normally would.

You may notice a few additional questions, but these are designed to help us understand your needs and get you the right care.

Thank you for supporting us as we continue to improve our services!

10/10/2026

💉 994 PATIENTS VACCINATED! 🎉

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make today's Flu and COVID vaccination clinic such a success.

👏 To our fantastic staff and volunteers – thank you for your hard work, teamwork and enthusiasm throughout a very busy day. We couldn't have done it without you!

💙 To our wonderful patients – thank you for turning up, being patient and helping everything run so smoothly.

With an amazing 994 patients vaccinated today, it's been a fantastic team effort and something we're incredibly proud of!

Thank you to everyone involved in helping protect our community this winter. 💙

From all of us at Widcombe Surgery

05/10/2026

📢 Important Information About NHS Patient List Cleansing 📢
From time to time, NHS England carries out a process called patient list cleansing. This helps ensure that GP practice records are accurate and up to date.

As part of this process, you may receive a letter asking you to confirm your details and that you still live at your registered address.

⚠️ If you receive a letter, it is very important that you respond to it.
If no response is received, NHS England may automatically remove you from our patient list, even if you still wish to remain registered with us.

✅ Please look out for any correspondence from NHS England and respond promptly to avoid being removed.
If you have been automatically removed from our patient list, or if you have recently moved into the area and are not currently registered with a local GP practice, we encourage you to register with a GP as soon as possible.

🏥 To register with Widcombe Surgery, you can complete our online registration form here: https://widcombesurgery.nhs.uk/surgery-information/register-as-a-patient

Keeping your registration details up to date helps ensure you continue to receive the healthcare services and communications you need.

If you would like to register as a new patient at our surgery, you’ll need to be living within our catchment area. Find out more about registering as a patient at our surgery.

05/10/2026

💙 You said, we listened: September Friends & Family feedback

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our Friends & Family Test during September. We read all of your comments and really appreciate hearing what we are doing well, as well as where we can improve.

Here are some of the main themes from your September feedback:

👩‍⚕️ Kind, caring and professional care
We received lots of lovely comments about our doctors and nurses. Many patients told us they felt listened to, cared for and reassured, with clinicians taking the time to explain things clearly and discuss next steps.

⏰ Prompt and efficient appointments
Many of you commented on appointments being on time, well organised and efficient. We also received positive feedback about being seen quickly when something needed more urgent attention.

😊 Friendly and helpful staff
Our reception, nursing and clinical teams received lots of praise for being friendly, welcoming, professional and helpful. It was particularly nice to hear about members of the team going the extra mile to help.

🔧 Where can we improve?

Access and continuity of care

Some patients told us they would like it to be easier to see the same GP, particularly when dealing with an ongoing problem.

We recognise how important continuity can be and we will always try to provide this where we can.

👉 When completing an online triage form, you can request a particular GP if there is someone you would prefer to see.

👉 If you are sent a link to book an appointment yourself, you can select your preferred GP from the appointments available.

We cannot always guarantee a particular GP, especially if you need to be seen quickly or your preferred GP is not available, but we will always try to support continuity wherever possible.

💙 Thank you for all your feedback during September. Your comments are shared with our team and help us recognise what is working well and where we can continue to improve.

The Widcombe Surgery Team

01/10/2026

🚭 Stoptober starts today!

Thinking about stopping smoking? This October could be the perfect time to give it a go.

You don't have to do it alone. Everyone Health BaNES provides a free local Stop Smoking Service for anyone who lives, works or is registered with a GP in Bath and North East Somerset.

Support includes:

✅ One-to-one support from a stop smoking practitioner
✅ Help managing cravings and withdrawal
✅ Free ni****ne replacement therapy (NRT)
✅ Vapes and e-liquids to support quitting
✅ Face-to-face or telephone support

📞 Call the Community Wellbeing Hub: 0300 247 0050
📧 Email: [email protected]
👉 https://banes.everyonehealth.co.uk/services/stop-smoking-service/

🚭 Let's Quit Smoking Together this Stoptober.

Quit smoking with our FREE 12-week support programme in Bath & North East Somerset. Access NRT, expert advice, medication and Swap to Stop vapes

30/09/2026

❤️ Would you know what to do if someone had a cardiac arrest?

Knowing CPR and having the confidence to act could help save someone’s life.

This short video from the British Heart Foundation uses football to deliver a really important message about cardiac arrest and the difference that knowing CPR can make.

⚽ Take a few minutes to watch — and please share it with friends and family.

https://youtu.be/iU3LyckqZkI?si=yg5Zr6SRMJHThoka

❤️ Learn CPR. Be ready. You could save a life.

Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chance of sur...

22/09/2026

👩‍⚕️ Who might you meet at Widcombe Surgery? 👨‍⚕️

Widcombe Surgery is a training and teaching practice, so as well as our regular GP team, you may sometimes meet doctors completing further training or medical students learning with us.

But what do all the different titles mean?

🩺 ST3 GP Registrars
These are fully qualified doctors in the later stages of specialist training to become GPs. They have their own appointments and can assess, diagnose and treat patients.

🩺 F2 Doctors
These are also fully qualified doctors. They are in their second year of postgraduate medical training and spend time in General Practice as part of their wider medical experience.

🎓 Year 4 & 5 Medical Students
These are senior medical students who are not yet qualified doctors. They may see selected patients, take a medical history and carry out parts of a consultation, working under the supervision of one of our GPs.

📚 Year 1–3 Medical Students
These students are earlier in their medical training and will usually sit in and observe consultations with our GPs.

Do I have to have a medical student involved in my appointment?

No. We are extremely grateful to patients who help us train the doctors of the future, but it is always your choice. You can decline to have a medical student involved and this will not affect your care in any way.

Thank you to all our patients who support medical education at Widcombe Surgery. 💙

21/09/2026

🎓 Just moved to Bath for university – or know someone who has?

If you, a family member or someone you know is living in Bath while studying, they can register with Widcombe Surgery for their NHS GP care.

Registration is quick and easy online, giving access to GP care, prescriptions and support while living in Bath.

Please feel free to share this post with any students who may find it useful.

💻 Register with Widcombe Surgery https://widcombesurgery.nhs.uk/surgery-information/register-as-a-patient

21/09/2026

📢 Our Autumn Newsletter is here!

Our latest Widcombe Surgery newsletter is now available, with updates from the practice, useful health information and details of what's happening over the coming months.

We hope you find it useful and, as always, thank you for your continued support.

👉 Read our latest newsletter here: