The Mid Ulster GP Federation was set up by local GPs in an environment of increasing workload and a workforce crisis in General Practice. It is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee and registered as ‘Federation of Family Practices Mid Ulster CIC’. It is made up of 12 practices covering over 80,000 patients. Members remain as individual practices but collaborate to develop improved local primary care.
Mid Ulster GP Practices
Mid Ulster Health Centre
Draperstown Surgery
Coagh Surgery
Loy Medical Centre
Garden St Surgery Magherfelt
Oaks Family Practice
Maghera H/C
Diamond Medical Centre
The Surgery
Castledawson Surgery
Fairhill Health Centre
Moneymore Medical Centre
Dr Laurence Diamond
Chair
Dr Caithlin Woulahan
GP Educational Lead
Niall O'Kane
Lead General Practice Pharmacist
Claire Young
Lead General Practice Pharmacist
Anne Witherow
Lead Nurse
General Practice Pharmacists
General Practice Pharmacists (GPPs) work as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary general practice team. In addition to the practice team, the GPP works within and is supported by the local GPP team and NI-wide GPP network. Every GP practice in NI avails of the services of a GPP through membership of the GP Federation. Although GPPs have a well-defined and wide ranging remit, the GPP role within an individual practice can vary according to practice need and priorities but the core elements of the GPP role will be medication review, reconciliation of medicines following discharge / change, prescribing system review and management, chronic disease management with/without prescribing responsibilities, answering queries from patients and other members of healthcare team, formulary and guideline implementation, optimising use of medicines budget, clinical audit.
Trainee Advanced Nurse Practitioners
Within GP nursing services, the Federation employs nurses undergoing a range of training programmes including the Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) programme. The MSc Advanced Nursing Practice programme is aimed at students who wish to develop a career as an advanced nurse practitioner. It is underpinned by the Advanced Nursing Practice Framework for Northern Ireland (DoH 2016).
These programmes run in partnership with the University of Ulster and on successful completion, the nurses remain as GP Federation employees based within GP practices
Education
Our PBL Team facilitates training events for all the practices in the Federation on designated days throughout the year and recently throughout the pandemic via zoom. The training and update material is GP practice specific; we aim to deliver true multi-disciplinary training days that delivers to all members of the primary care team, both clinical and non-clinical. Our agenda is driven by the feedback and needs of our practice teams.
Elective Care Services (ECR)
Elective Care Reform services have now been running for the last 4 years. These services, which are Dermatology, Musculoskeletal (MSK), Primary Care Surgical Services (PCSS), Gynaecology and Vasectomy have been structured within a Primary Care setting for GPs to refer into, where GPESs (GPs with Enhanced Skills) manage the individual conditions with initial and review appointments.
Our Services
The Northern GP Federation Support Unit came into existence in 2016 and supports four individual GP Federations namely:
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Antrim & Ballymena GP Federation
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Causeway GP Federation
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East Antrim GP Federation
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Mid Ulster GP Federation
The Northern GP Federation Support Unit works collaboratively alongside 73 GP Practices across the province, employing approximately 150 staff.
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Federation Support Units provide administrative, project support, finance management, payroll services and HR advise/support to the four Federations within Northern GP Federation Support Unit (NFSU). NFSU is staffed by a small team who are always available to help employees with queries regarding payroll, HR matters or any other query you may have.