Bentham Medical Practice

16/07/2026

Another Meet the team Friday! Hopefully you are getting to put some names to faces and enjoying meeting the team!
1. Name - Kirsty
2. Job title - Social Prescriber
3. How long at the practice? - 3 years
4. Favourite part of your job? - Empowering patients
5. What does your role involve? As a Social Prescriber, I support people to improve their health and wellbeing by connecting them with local services, community groups, and practical resources. I take a person-centred approach, working with individuals to understand what matters most to them and helping them build confidence, reduce isolation, and access the support they need. My goal is to empower people to make positive changes that enhance their overall wellbeing and quality of life.
6. Tea or coffee? Both
7. Fun fact / hobby - All things outdoors
8. Favourite wellbeing trick: Spending time with Friends.

10/07/2026

Meet the team Friday is back, and we have the lovely Ruth 💗
1. Name. Ruth Auger
2. Job title. Practice Nurse
3. How long at the practice? 4 years - it goes quick!
4. Favourite part of your job? I love seeing patients and making a positive difference. That might include a practical nursing skill such as wound care, offering advice and making a care plan, offering a listening ear, celebrating their health goal wins, supporting them as they care for a relative or friend, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to improve patient outcomes…there is no end to the small incidental events in my everyday job that make me love my role as a nurse. No 2 days are the same which I love.
5. What does your role involve? lots of patient facing activities like long term condition reviews asthma/COPD/diabetes, blood tests, smears, wound care which can be complex and debilitating for patients with chronic wounds. Behind the scenes there is health promotion and running NHS campaigns such the smear clinics, flu and covid vaccinations clinics, childhood vaccinations, infection control, ensuring policies are in place, clinical supervision for staff, supporting staff, working as part of the multidisciplinary team with GPs/podiatrist/receptionists/secretary's/Practice Manager. We also do safeguarding, documentation, keeping up to date with training and changes to immunisation schedules. Liaise with hospital specialist teams for shared care in complex health conditions.
6. Tea or coffee? Coffee first thing then earl grey tea
7. Fun fact / hobby. I love walking my dog, Ruby, wild swimming (summertime only, I’m not hard core for cold weather), reading, travel and as I have 3 teens running around after them and their sporting interests! Sharing a meal with friends and family is always a way to put a smile on my face too. And time with hubby, Matt, is always welcome as family life is busy.
8. Favourite wellbeing trick Walking…whether up in the Lakes, Dales, Scotland or locally from home, a walk and spending time in nature really re-sets me and drops my shoulders. I have tried yoga and Pilates but the outdoors always wins!

09/07/2026

03/07/2026

Week 5! Some of you may have spoken to Jen when having medication reviews... Here's our next star of the Meet The Team Friday 🎉
1. Name : Jenny Kell
2. Job title : Clinical Pharmacist
3. How long at the practice? 5 years
4. Favourite part of your job? When I am able to explain something that a patient has been struggling to understand in a way that it finally makes sense to them.
5. What does your role involve? Annual medication reviews, structured medication reviews, adjusting medication doses to suit people better, medication advice for the team and patients
6. Tea or coffee? Both. I love a Dirty chai latte which is technically both together although these days I have to go decaf for everyone else’s sanity.
7. Fun fact / hobby: I do Viking re-enactment as a hobby. I have been on TV a couple of times and organise a re-enactment show in Scotland. (Look up ‘the noisy Viking family ITV this morning’ and ‘History in the Park’)
8. Favourite wellbeing trick: I listen to sleep stories on an App at night to help me switch my brain off so I can sleep.

26/06/2026

Meet The Team Friday WEEK 4! We have the second Emma of our team this week, have a read to find out a bit more ...
1. Name : Emma Louise Dobson
2. Job title : Receptionist/Dispenser
3. How long at the practice? Since April (only a newbie yet)
4. Favourite part of your job? I’ve been in the NHS for 12 years and every day if still different which is what I love but right now I really enjoy meeting new patients on the front desk.
5. What does your role involve? booking appointments, communication with patients, dealing with day-to-day requests from doctors and nurses. Assisting with dispensary and medication queries. Arranging dossette medication and any queries.
6. Tea or coffee? COFFEE! Since having my 6-year-old and going to full time work haha.
7. Fun fact / hobby : I love the outdoors, sport and reading at the end of the day. But then also love a glass of wine and to colour with a good boxset in winter. But the best thing to do is to go for a walk with my family followed by a drink at the local pub.
8. Favourite wellbeing trick: At the moment I find gardening is a good wellbeing tool and I end everyday with reading. I find meaningless or low-stakes activity is so good for switching off. Like a puzzle, jigsaw, colouring, crafting.

19/06/2026

Week 3 of our meet the team Friday and next up we have the wonderful Leila! Hope you are enjoying getting to know some of the staff!
1. Name: Leila Atkinson
2. Job title: Business and Medicines Manager
3. How long at the practice? Almost 5 ½ years
4. Favourite part of your job? Helping people with their medication queries.
5. What does your role involve? I work closely with the Operations Manager and Practice Manager as part of the senior management team at the surgery. The Business Management side of my job is really varied, but big parts of it involve organising all the practice finances and sorting IT problems! The Medicines Management side of the job focusses heavily on sorting medication problems and drug safety – lots of people will be familiar with my name from receiving messages about their blood tests being due.
6. Tea or coffee? Coffee, but it must be decaff.
7. Fun fact / hobby I have two unusual hobbies: one is bellringing, I’m the Tower Captain at the church in Low Bentham and have been ringing bells for almost 15 years. My other hobby is beekeeping. I started this last year after I rescued a swarm from a friend’s hedge. I’ve now got two hives and hope to be able to harvest some honey later in the year.
8. Favourite wellbeing trick: I listen to a meditation app every night to help me relax and drift off to sleep. Also, swinging a 1 tonne bell round does wonders for your wellbeing!

12/06/2026

Its week 2 of our Meet The Team Friday! And this week we are bringing you the lovely Peggy!
1. Name
Peggy Edmondson
2. Job title
Receptionist / Admin
3. How long at the practice?
3 ½ years
4. Favourite part of your job?
The fact that I’m part of the team that’s caring for the community in the area I grew up in.
5. What does your role involve?
When in reception, we are the first point of contact for patients, be it answering the phones or being on the front desk, booking appointments and *hopefully* answering queries.
I’m also part of the Scanning team. This involves making sure all the letters that come into the practice from Hospital appointments and the patients themselves are properly inputted onto patients’ records and any requests for further care are passed on to the correct clinician when needed.
6. Tea or coffee?
I drink both but would prefer hot chocolate!
7. Fun fact / hobby
I have, what I have been told by many, a “weird” selection of hobbies for my age, but I disagree.
I do cross-stitch which I have been doing since I was 10 years old, sat at home with a broken leg (I had a pot up to my hip and couldn’t go to school!).
I am a lover of folk music; my favourite is a Yorkshire lass named Kate Rusby.
I enjoy history and mythology, specifically Greek mythology. Greece is also my favourite holiday destination, especially the Ionian islands.
I always have a book on the go and LOVE reading, if you know me, you’ll know of my Lord of the Rings obsession, I even have two LOTR tattoos.
My main love though is my two cats, Feta and Hawthorn, who are my world. There is nothing better than going home to my cats after a long day.
8. Favourite wellbeing trick
I like to do things that help switch off my brain, like my embroidery or reading a book. Walking is a wonderful thing to do for wellbeing too, being in the fresh air and nature really helps me, especially if it’s a short walk around the bridge, or to the ‘Wenning Oak’ in Low Bentham (I’m an LB girl, born and raised) with my mum and dad who live across the road. Family is the most important thing for me 😊

09/06/2026

VACANCY – PRACTICE NURSE
We are looking for an experienced nurse to join our proactive, friendly team on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Based in High Bentham, with a branch practice in Ingleton, Bentham Medical Practice has a list size of approximately 7,500 patients.
You will be joining a team of 8 GPs, 2 ST3s, 1 ACP, 2 RNs and 2 HCAs in a supportive and forward-thinking rural practice. We are ideally looking for experience in the following areas but training can be given for the right candidate:
Asthma
COPD
Diabetes
Contraception
CPD encouraged, salary commensurate on experience.
If you are looking to work in a vibrant community practice where you will be valued as an integral part of our welcoming team, please forward a copy of your CV with a covering letter for the attention of our Practice Manager to [email protected]
For more information see NHS Jobs https://www.jobs.nhs.uk reference A5504-26-0000.