Surgery so Happy to be in Best of Health Awards running

Happy House in Durham Road has been nominated for a Best of Health Award in the competition which has attracted a bumber batch of entries.

We are already off to a flying start in the numbers of nominations we have received for causes across Wearside and South Tyneside.

Among them is one for Happy House Surgery which has three GPs, a nurse practitioner and 15 staff in total.

It serves 5,600 patients and practice manager Steven Harder said: “Primarily, we are here to serve the patients and that is the important focus in that.

“But it is always really nice when something like this comes along.

“To find that people are pleased in what we are able to do is a real honour and that is great for everyone.”

Happy House is no stranger to success in the awads. Last year, GP of the Year was Dr Niyar Quasim, from the surgery but in typically modest style, he said: ““It’s not just me. It’s a team effort.”

He put his 2016 success down to listening to patients and ”treating them as individuals”.

He also said a lot of the success was down to the team he works with.

The practice was praised in this year’s nomination for being highly patient focused with a multidisciplinary approach to patients’ health care.

It aims to deliver the best for patients by combining the skills of the practice team with other health and social care workers in the community.

Happy House joins an already impressive list of entries for the competition.

Sponsors for this year’s awards are South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, mydentist, NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group and Quality Hotel Boldon.

The deadline for all nominations is Friday, April 7, and the judges will meet the following week to decide on the shortlist.

The grand finale will be held at the Quality Hotel in Boldon on Thursday, April 27. To nominate, just send your name, address and telephone number, as well as your email address, if applicable.

Remember to include the category you are putting your nominated cause into.

Also send the name of the person you wish to nominate, along with their address, telephone number and email (if known). Send all the details to Lynn Wild by no later than Friday, April 7. Email those entries to [email protected] or send them to Lynn Wild, Alexander House, Second Floor, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland,DH4 5RA.