New doctor joins the team at village practice

Dr Jacqueline Mascall has joined The Rothbury Practice, back in the village where she completed her GP training.

Her appointment follows a challenging time for the practice, with illness affecting the team and the recent retirement of a long-standing member.

Dr Mascall said: “I qualified 10 years ago after completing my GP training in Rothbury so I’m delighted to be back working in this beautiful village.

“With a love of the countryside, I feel right at home here and have been really touched by the warm welcome I’ve already received in the short time I’ve been back.”

The practice, based at Rothbury Community Hospital, is part of part of Northumbria Primary Care (NPC).

NPC managing director Julie Danskin said: “We’re delighted that Dr Mascall has chosen to join us in Rothbury. In addition to being a fantastic GP she has a specialist interests in care of the elderly and women’s health; both of which will complement our existing skill sets perfectly. All in all she is a wonderful addition to an already strong team.

“We also recently introduced a specialist frailty nurse practitioner who is able to treat, assess and prescribe and is available for our older patients one day a week in Rothbury and we are really looking forward to seeing both get to work.

“It’s no secret that the last few months have been challenging for the practice and I would like to thank all of the outstanding staff there for working so hard to keep things running.

“Equally, the support we have received from our patients and the community has been fantastic and I can’t thank them enough.”

Patients are reminded that there are a number of healthcare professionals they may see if they need an appointment, as well as different types of appointments available to them, in addition to a face-to-face appointment with a GP.

These include triage/consultations over the phone with the option of an urgent (face-to-face) appointment if necessary.

Patients may also be offered an appointment with a nurse practitioner, or to speak to a pharmacist about their medication, if this is more appropriate than seeing a GP.

There are also a range of NHS services that can provide advice for less serious conditions without the need to see a GP or healthcare professional in the practice, such as a local pharmacist or by calling NHS 111.