Kingsteignton Medical Practice

Patient Support

Telephone – 01626 817335
Email – kingscare.L83004@nhs.net
Website – www.kingscare.co.uk
Facebook – www.facebook.com/KingsCareLOF/

KingsCare League of Friends is the patient support group attached to Kingsteignton Medical Practice but now working with Buckland Surgery Support (BuSS), Kerswella (based at Kingskerswell Health Centre) and Moorland Community Care Group (MCCG). Between us we cover all the GP practices in the Newton Abbot Cluster.

KingsCare’s Aim is, with voluntary help, to improve the quality of life of those in need within our community.

Do you need support or know someone who does?

We have 12 members of staff based at Kingsteignton. Between us we manage a wide range of support services and social activities aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of patients and decreasing any sense of social isolation.

KingsCare’s Staff members

Manager – Maggie Bonnell whose role is to oversee all activities, supervise the staff, ensure that the charity’s direction of travel is consistent with its aims and purpose, report back to the Trustees and do her best to keep the funding coming in.

Hospital Discharge Coordinator– Shannon Didlick who works out of Newton Abbot Hospital spending time with patients and ensuring that they have the support necessary to ensure that they have a safe discharge from hospital. This can include making sure that the patients have all the benefits to which they are entitled and that their carers have the support they need to care for their loved ones on their return home.

Transport Coordinator– Ian Whyte, whose role is to take responsibility for our 4 wheelchair accessible vehicles and deploy volunteer drivers to take patients to medical appointments and social activities in their own cars or one of our vehicles. He works alongside….

Bus Coordinator – Marilyn Brooks whose role is to organise trips out in our minibuses. Each trip employs a trained volunteer driver and a courier whose role is to take care of the safety of the passengers.

Mental Health Support Worker – Briony Enright who gives time, understanding, advice and support to patients suffering from (mainly) anxiety and depression.  Among other activities she facilitates a monthly carers group, supports a gardening group and runs HOPE courses and Anxiety Cafés at Stover for her client group. Briony is also involved in a project we have been running for several years called #DoitforDeaks. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of mental health and suicide and work with other agencies to demonstrate the support that there is locally (and where it can be found) to help people who are suffering from very low mood.  For more details go to www.doitfordeaks.com

Dementia Activities Coordinator – David Garland whose role is to help patients suffering from memory loss and their carers to find the kind of activity that will engage the patient and make it easier for them to be cared for at home. He works alongside …..

Dementia Carers Support Worker – Jackie Milan whose role is to support the family carer giving them information and advice and the opportunity to discuss any problems that might arise. David runs a monthly Memory Café in Newton Abbot and Jackie runs a monthly Memory Café in Kingsteignton. Together they run a monthly session in Newton Abbot where the carer and the cared for separate (if wished) into 2 different groups so that the cared for can join in a stimulating activity whilst the carer can discuss any issues that may have arisen or might do. David also takes a fortnightly walk around Kingsteignton and, weather permitting, around Stover Country Park for this client group.

Wellbeing Coordinators – Sharon Venning, Trish Taylor, Don MacInnes and Tara Hales. Their role is to work with people who are (usually) 50 + and suffer from 2 or more long term conditions. They can spend up to 12 weeks with these patients helping them to think about what matters to them and how they can make their lives better. They also offer HOPE courses – Helping to Overcome Problems Effectively. These are group sessions, held over a period of 6 weeks, where patients come together to work together through common problems and develop new friendships and more confidence.

Tara also works as a liaison between Health & Social Care and the Voluntary Sector.

Administrative Assistant – Wendy Smart works 2 days a week in the office, processing volunteer application forms and generally with admin.

The Hub – is the only charity shop in Kingsteignton at 27 Fore Street and is run entirely by KingsCare volunteers and is, therefore, only open when we have volunteers available to open it. It carries an excellent range of donated goods and is well worth a visit. To check that it is open, please call 01626 337446 before leaving home.

Activities

We offer a wide range of activities that take place both in Kingsteignton and Newton Abbot, all of which are helping people to meet others and lessen any sense of isolation.

Many of our activities take place in the Avenue Church in Newton Abbot, overseen by the Wellbeing Team.

For more details on all of our services and activities, please visit our website www.kingscare.co.uk or contact the office at the surgery between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Telephone 01626 817335, email kingscare.L83004@nhs.net Website www.kingscare.co.uk.

KingsCare League of Friends Registered Charity Number 1174450

 

 

 

Date published: 28th February, 2020
Date last updated: 17th May, 2024