Castlegate and Derwent Surgery

19/06/2026

The HPV vaccine is saving lives.

New research by Queen Mary University of London and Cancer Research UK shows deaths have fallen sharply since school-age girls began being offered it in 2008, and around 200 lives have been saved in England so far thanks to the vaccine.

The vaccine protects against high-risk HPV, a virus that can lead to cervical cancer and some other cancers.

Both girls and boys can get protection from high-risk HPV by having the HPV vaccination in their teenage years. It not only protects against cervical cancer, but other types of cancer too.

You can help protect your child by giving consent for them to have their vaccination when invited.

And remember: cervical screening is still important, even if you’ve had the HPV vaccine.

Learn more: https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2026/06/18/new-data-shows-the-hpv-vaccine-is-saving-lives-from-cervical-cancer/

18/06/2026

10/06/2026

"To our most patient patients, thank you"

Behind every phone call, appointment booking, prescription query and patient concern is a person doing their best to help.

Receptionists are often the first point of contact in general practice. They support patients every day, helping people access the right care, managing complex enquiries, and keeping services running smoothly.

We understand that seeking healthcare can sometimes be stressful, frustrating or worrying. But a moment of kindness and understanding can make a real difference.

Sadly, there have been recent instances within our surgery of completely unacceptable behaviour directed towards staff who are simply trying to do their jobs under often difficult circumstances. We regularly see messages encouraging kindness online (thank you), but kindness needs to exist in the real world too.

Words and actions have consequences. Repeated abuse, aggression and hostility can affect people's wellbeing, damage morale and, in some cases, leave individuals feeling threatened or unsafe. No one should experience that while coming to work to help others.

Before speaking to a member of staff, please remember that they are human too. They are members of our local community, working hard to support patients and their families, often under significant pressure. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Kindness, patience and compassion help create a better experience for patients and staff alike.

While we always strive to support everyone who contacts us, abusive, threatening, discriminatory or aggressive behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated and may be managed in line with relevant policies and procedures.

Thank you to our community for treating one another with respect.

10/06/2026

Did you know? 💊💉🩺

Medicines play a vital role in helping us stay healthy. They can treat illness, manage long-term conditions, and improve quality of life. To get the best results, medicines need to be used safely and effectively.

That’s where medicines management comes in. Teams within your local GP practice, including pharmacists, GPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, work together to review prescriptions, monitor side effects, and make sure treatments remain right for each patient.

As part of this work, the team may carry out a medicines review. This is a confidential review of your medication record by a healthcare professional, usually a GP Practice Pharmacist or another suitably qualified clinician.

The aim of the review is to check that your medicines are still working well for you and that you are getting the greatest benefit from them.

During your review, you may be asked questions such as:

✅ Do you feel your medicines are improving your health or preventing your condition from getting worse?

✅ When was the last time you missed taking one of your medicines?

✅ Have you experienced any unwanted side effects from your medicines?

Find out more by clicking the link in the comments. 💚💙

03/06/2026

Looking to build a general practice career (see what we did there?!🙂) - Why not look in the beautiful across the NHS area of North Cumbria (West, East and North areas)

Let's have a look at some of the current vacancies on the board.
Link in the comments to learn more.

Appleby Medical Practice :
Admin Assistant

Caldbeck Surgery :
Healthcare Assistant

Carlisle Healthcare :
Salaried GP
Pharmacy Technician

Castlegate and Derwent Surgery :
Salaried GP

Eden Medical Group Carlisle :
Enhanced Practitioner (Diabetes)

Fellview Healthcare :
Salaried GP x2
Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Wigton Group Medical Practice :
Practice Manager

Good luck to all you potential applicants out there.
💙💚

03/06/2026

Statement on CQC Inspection Report
The recently published CQC report on our practice identified many aspects that required improvement. We understand that the findings of the report will cause concern for many of our patients, and we sincerely apologise for this.

This inspection took place in February. This was an exceptionally challenging time for our practice, following unprecedented winter demand and GP staff shortages.
Following the inspection in February we took immediate and decisive action to address the concerns raised by the inspection team.
We:
• worked closely with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to stabilise services and implement improvements
• worked with Cumbria Health to provide additional face-to-face and remote GP and clinical support, helping us to clear appointment backlogs and strengthen capacity over an eight-week period

Since then, we have further improved patient access and capacity by:
• recruiting additional locum GPs
• creating approximately 250 extra appointments each week while we continue our efforts to recruit permanent GPs to our team
• strengthened our medication monitoring and patient recall systems by introducing new processes and procedures with support and guidance from specialists within the ICB

We're confident that these actions, along with other changes and improvements to address the concerns identified within the report and will help ensure that you receive the safe, effective and high-quality care they expect and deserve from us.

We continue to work closely with both the CQC and the ICB, giving weekly updates on our progress. We've also worked hard to embed a better culture of continuous improvement within our practice. This includes weekly multi-disciplinary improvement meetings focused on enhancing patient care and the way we work.

We understand that the findings of the report may cause concern for some patients, and we sincerely apologise for this. We would like to reassure our patients that their health, wellbeing and care remain our highest priority, and patients should continue to access the practice as normal.

We remain fully committed to improving our services and restoring the confidence of our patients and community.

20/05/2026

🔔 Reminder that our surgery will be closed on Monday 25th May for the bank holiday.

We will re open as normal on Tuesday 26th May.

Should you require assistance when the surgery please contact NHS 111.

😊 Enjoy the long weekend!

18/05/2026

We are delighted to inform patients that the Surgery have signed up to the Workload Agreement. This means a return to the previous pathway whereby we will be undertaking secondary care bloods in the surgery along with post operative wound care.
Patients will no longer have to go to the Hub in Maryport for these services.

Secondary care bloods or wound care are requests from hospital consultants. We will require information from your consultant as to what tests or care is required. They should request these on the ICE system or we will require documentation of the required work.

Patients can book these appointments online using a booking link, by telephone or in person. Our staff will need to check the tests are requested before they book your appointment.

Good news for our patients 👍

18/05/2026

💚 Our team were wearing green on Friday to support Mental Health Awareness Week 💚

We were supporting the cause — and each other — by taking two to have a brew and a chat ☕💬

We are also holding a staff step challenge, encouraging the team to get their steps in, enjoy some fresh air, and boost their mental wellbeing. The competition is on to see who can achieve the most steps during Mental Health Awareness Week, with the winner being announced today! 🚶🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

Taking action to support our mental health can help us feel better in the present moment, while also building positive habits for the future.

Here are some simple tips to help make sustainable, positive changes to your wellbeing:

💚 Get moving each day
💚 Spend time outdoors
💚 Take time to talk
💚 Stay connected with others
💚 Make time for rest and self-care

Because everyone deserves good mental health 💚
Mental Health Foundation

13/05/2026

We know sometimes now it can be hard to tell what's real and what isn't... so let's talk about reality.... there’s no better place to reconnect with it than in the stunning Lake District 🌅🏔️ and there are currently lots of job opportunities in general practice across the NHS's North Cumbria area (West, North, East).

So as we like to do here traditionally every week - let's get into some of those varied roles that are currently available.

Link for further info in the comments 💙💚

And remind you that not everything is Ai.... yet 🤖🚀

Appleby Medical Practice:
Admin Assistant

Brampton Medical Practice:
Salaried GP (Semi-Rural Practice)

Carlisle Healthcare:
Salaried GP

Castlegate & Derwent Surgery:
Salaried GP
Practice Nurse, chronic disease
Care Navigator / Receptionist

Distington Surgery:
Medical Receptionist

Eden Medical Group:
Primary Care Network (PCN) Healthcare Support Worker (HSW)
Long Term Conditions Care Co-Ordinator

Fellview Healthcare:
Advanced Nurse Practitioner x 2
Salaried GP x 2

James Street Group Practice:
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Enhanced Practitioner - Shared Care Drug & Alcohol Service
Advanced Nurse Practitioner - Mental Health
Pharmacy Technician
Clinical Pharmacist
Receptionist

Warwick Square Group Practice (Grosvenor House Surgery):
Advanced Nurse Practitioner