A GP surgery in Yatton has benefitted from a £171,000 grant to make the building more accessible for patients and improve infection control.

The Mendip Vale Medical Group, which runs five GP practices in North Somerset, secured a Minor Improvement Grant (MIG) from NHS England and NHS Improvement to carry out the essential work.

Yatton Surgery, which serves more than 14,000 patients, was awarded the money to improve infection control and make the building more accessible for people with disabilities.

It now has two new clinical rooms which were converted from admin space, increasing the number of clinical rooms available in the surgery by 15 per cent.

New hand basins with elbow operated taps specifically designed to reduce the spread of infection have been installed and carpets in consultation rooms have been replaced with vinyl floors.

Further improvements include widened doors, a new touch-free automatic front door and a lower front desk to make the building more accessible for people with disabilities. The waiting room has also been updated.

Dr Andy Warinton, GP at the Yatton Surgery said: “With more appointments being via phone or video link the slight reduction in face-to-face appointments during the Covid-19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity for us to carry out the improvement works while the surgery had fewer people coming into the surgery.

"During the outbreak some GP, Nurse and Health Care Assistant patient consultations at Yatton moved to telephone and online meaning work was able to take place with minimal disruption to patients.

“The refurbishments make such as a difference, it’s a really positive improvement for our patients and team bringing the Yatton surgery more in line with our other sites.

"The clinical rooms feel a lot lighter and airy which makes a big difference when you’re spending so much of your working day in it.

"The patient feedback we’ve had has also been really positive, with easier access and a more pleasant waiting environment.”

Colin Bradbury, North Somerset area director for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, which is commissioning the refurbishments, added: “These modernisations will make it easier for staff at the surgery to maintain the rigorous infection control measures that we have in place across all of our GP practices which are more essential than ever as we continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.”