The Tithebarn Team

These days, there are many different ways in which we can care for your health. We feel that the best way to do this is to offer you a range of professionals, with different skills and different approaches. Things have moved on since the days when the doctor did everything!

Practice Staff

Nurse Practitioner

Our Nurse Practitioner, Sonia Marchant has spent the last 17 years working in General Practice and is constantly updating her knowledge to offer the best standard of care, and is trained to diagnose, treat and prescribe for a wide range of minor ailments, injuries, health promotion and acute/chronic illness. She takes a lead role in offering a full range of nursing services with emphasis on promoting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These services include: Chronic disease management (managing conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or high blood pressure), cervical smears, child immunisation, male/female health, elderly screening, smoking cessation and weight management. She also gives you expert contraceptive advice and arranges all your travel vaccinations.

Sister Marchant also performs the nurse triage and minor illness services at Tithebarn for patients requesting same day urgent appointments, or who are looking for telephone advice.

The Doctors

• Dr Anne Holmes (Manchester 1978), MB, ChB, DCH, DRCOG, SRCGP.

• Dr Jorg Schmidt (Germany 1991)

The doctors at Tithebarn Medical Centre are Dr Anne Holmes and Dr Jorg Schmidt. They are qualified and registered top provide contraceptive, child health, maternity and services in addition to the full range of general medical advice. They work as a team, rather than as individuals, and so are keen to encourage you to consult whichever doctor you prefer. We feel that this allows you to make your own choices, and so enables us to give you the best service possible. You can help us keep our records up to date by letting us know who your preferred or usual doctor is.

Our doctors at Tithebarn spend some of their time working outside the practice. Dr Anne Holmes (MB, ChB, DCH, DRCOG, FRCGP) runs the GP training scheme in Teesside, she teaches medical students and is also a trainer for GP registrars. She is interested in asthma, cancer care and teaching.

We feel that these outside interests benefit both ourselves and you, by broadening and deepening our knowledge and experience.

Dr Schmidt qualified in Germany in 1991 and has worked in Britain ever since and he is interested in teaching. His qualifications are 3rd State Examination University of Wurzburg Germany.

Practice Manager

Dawn Kennedy has 17 years experience in all aspects of practice administration/management, and is responsible for the smooth running and organisation of the practice. She will be happy to hear your comments - both good and bad.

Patient Support Workers/Receptionists

Our fully trained Patient Support Workers are here to help you. They will often need to ask you further details when you telephone. This is to ensure that we assist you as effectively as possible. They are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the doctors and nurses. Our Patient Support Worker’s have had extensive training in the registration process including height, weight and blood pressure measuring; this enables them to start the process of good quality health care management within the practice.

Attached Staff

Health Visitor

Our health visitor Claire Jones works mainly with children under 5 and their families to promote good health and well being. She performs developmental/weight checks, tests their hearing, and provides advice on infant feeding, temper tantrums, speech development and immunisations. She is an invaluable source of help and advice about everything to do with childcare. She can be contacted on Tel 528059

Midwife

If you are an expecting a baby please get in contact with our midwife, Wendy Nichol. She is part of the team that looks after expectant mothers before, during and after childbirth. In addition to supporting and caring for you, she will also be able to give you advice about antenatal testing, healthy eating, and exercise. Breast feeding support and parent craft classes are available. She can be contacted on Tel 528806/528061

Community Counsellor

Your mental health is as important to us as your physical health. Many people feel that they are "wasting the doctor's time" if they talk about how they feel. We believe that nothing could be further from the truth. Our community counsellor, Lesley Katib provides a wide range of services including one to one counselling and self-help information. For further details please contact the practice.

District Nurse

If you are unable to get in to the surgery, we could arrange for our district nurse to visit you at home. The district nurse provides individual care programmes to support patients and their carers in the home. She can be contacted through the practice.