Cardiff Bay Surgery as it is stands today has a long and chequered history reflecting the indigenous population of the old Cardiff docks and Butetown area, with many of the patients being registered with the practice for over 30 years.
The two sites from which the practice will shortly operate being GTHC and BTHC span the whole of Cardiff bay, thus inspiring the recent change in name from Grange surgery to Cardiff bay surgery.
The patient group reflects the multi- ethnic nature of the local community with well over 15 indigenous languages spoken by patients registered at the practice. The patient group is a reflection of both the social, cultural and demographic evolution of the area with the practice seeing more and more socially affluent patients who have taken up residence in the new developments that have sprung up over the last 10 years in Cardiff bay. These changes and its all encompassing nature of care have inspired the new logo for the practice.
The history of the practice goes back to over 100 years in its origins in a house in Avondale Gardens (located equidistant from GTHC and the new BTHC) where Dr Roden senior and his wife practiced having fled their native country after persecution, their practice grew from strength to strength reflecting their commitment and dedication to patient care and connection with the local population. Their son, the late Dr Harold Roden then joined the practice once qualified and the practice went from strength to strength to operating from two residential units in the bustling Clare Road.
Seeing a shift in patient demographics and an influx of working immigrants from Africa and south Asia into the area in 1973 Dr. HB Singh was appointed as a partner having trained in the very practice where he was to become senior partner. His unique manner and appearance combined with his multilingual ability became an increasing attraction for patients to attend him and indeed for the primary care contractors were to offer him the practice list of Dr Alwin Jones who retired after having been in practice in the BT area for many years.
With his commitment to the homeless and his focussed and enthusiastic manner the practice expanded its growing patient list and catchment to incorporate the old BTHC.
In more recent times and with a change in the GMS s contract in 2004 Dr Singh had further vision for the practice despite already being a GP in the area for well over 30 years and took on Dr Naseem as a partner.
Having been born , grown up , been to school and college and played in the streets as a young child in the area where he now works Dr Naseem seamed an ideal candidate to take the practice further and address the challenges ahead.
His knowledge of the medical needs of the area was evident by the fact he trained both first as a surgeon and then as a GP in South Wales. Having been a medical student in Cardiff in the early 90s it gave him further affinity for the area in which he now works
Given his multi lingual ability, empathy for the local community and welsh roots combined with his ethnicity and working class background he became pivotal in consolidating services and taking the BT branch from strength to strength.
Karen Jones our previous practice manger, with her background in the health board was appointed on the birth of the new GP contract in 2004 and with her staff has successfully managed over 6500 patients in the area with a vision and desire to grow further both in quality and quantity. Our current Practice Manager , Abeeda has a long history of working in the corporate sector and managing business. She has been pivotal in shaping up our practice team to incorporate within our registered patient populatin a significant proportion of patients from a local practice which has recently shut down. She has an appetite to see the practice to grow from strength to stregnth and for the practice to reach both its business and educational aspirations.
In preparation for the future and addressing the need identified by the patients the practice has taken on the services of two other GPs which have bought a mixture of youth , dynamism and a focus on women child heath and our medical education ambitions to train future medical students and doctors. Dr Amara , completed her GP training in Carmarthen only recently and currently works part time. She has an interest in women’s health , diabetes and teaching medical students early on in their training. She has recently been appointed as an honorary clinical tutor for Cardiff University for medical students. Dr Emaad Alauddin works fixed sessions most week and helps with the teaching of the medical students from the third and fifth year both from Cardiff and London who are allocated to our practice. He is keen to develop our child health surveillance baby clinics and has a role in developing IT within the practice.
