About Us

This work has been recognised by the Royal College of General Practitioners via their Quality Practice Award (QPA).

QPA is a quality assurance process undertaken by practices, which recognises a high standard of quality patient care delivered by every member of the practice team. The Family Practice was one of only a handful of practices in England to achieve this status twice.

Additionally, we have a strong commitment to the continued professional development of our practice members and have been a training practice for general practitioners for over 30 years.

The range of NHS services offered includes acute and chronic care, contraception, minor surgery, vaccination, screening, maternity care and child health surveillance.

Our History

The Family Practice traces its origins back to a practice founded in Redland before the Second World War.

The practice moved into the newly constructed Whiteladies Health Centre in the early 1970s where it remained for the next 20 years. Its growth meant that by the end of the 1980s staff were working under very cramped conditions.

In 1993 we took the opportunity to move the practice to our current building, the magnificent Western College. The College was designed by the Bristol architect, Henry Dare Bryan, in the Arts and Crafts style and is a Grade II* listed building. It was opened in 1906 as a Theological Training College for the Congregational Church. From 1968-1990 it served as the offices of the Southern Universities Joint Examination Board.

The practice has had a long tradition of innovation and training. When located at the top of Elgin Park, Redland in the 1960s, it boasted its own X-ray equipment. We experimented with GP computing in the 1980s, followed by full computerisation in 1990. At that point we were one of the first practices in Bristol to be computerised.

We have always been responsive to feedback from our patients. The first female partner was appointed in the 1970s (a fact which seems incredible today) on the recommendation of the patients’ association. Our dedicated overnight telephone line for ordering prescriptions, the touch screen in the waiting room and our on-line appointments were all prompted by comments and suggestions from our patients.

Despite many decades of change and innovation, we are acutely aware that we must remain accessible to all of our patients, including those who do not have access to new technologies. The core of general practice remains unchanged; namely, effective, direct communication between patients and staff.