BARDOC clocks-up 21 years of care

Dr Kumar Kotegaonkar MBE, Honorary President, BARDOC

Rochdale raised BARDOC has just turned 21 – and is celebrating the title of one of Britain’s longest-serving local out-of-hours emergency health care services.

Formed by GPs and the then Rochdale and Bury Health Authority in 1996, and now a Community Benefits Society, it serves 212,200 Rochdale patients answering calls within 60 seconds and identifying which cases need routine help and which might be deemed life threatening emergencies.

Providing dental and health out-of-hours care and vital support within surgeries and hospitals, BARDOC kept 6,233 patients out of emergency and urgent care units in Rochdale, Bury and Bolton between December 2016 and May 2017.

All of which is a far cry from the days before BARDOC when, says founder Dr Kumar Kotegaonkar MBE: “There had been no work and life balance for GPs and the doctor was cuffed to their visiting bag.”

Now Honorary President of BARDOC, Dr Kotegaonkar said: “The responsibility of 24-hour care used to be with the GP and smaller surgeries were always having to look round for cover. We needed the respite to be able to continue our commitment to our practices and make sure practising medicine was a joy.”

Thirty-five Rochdale GPs joined colleagues in Bury to form the BARDOC co-operative in May 1996. The organisation has since become an inspiration for others across the country and has proved a pivotal support for organisations, including Springhill Hospice.

The secret of its longevity and success, says Dr Kotegaonkar, is its founding ethos: “By forming a cooperative, we had the best way of ensuring continuity of care to the community with the assurance of quality. The GP will treat every patient as if it is their patient.”

Pride in their work remains a big part of what makes the modern day BARDOC tick, and a recent survey showed that 92% of employees felt that BARDOC provides high quality patient focused care with 91% stating they knew what to do if worried about the wellbeing of a patient. Over 81% were proud to work at BARDOC and crucially 95% of staff would have no hesitation in recommending the service to friends and family.

Vicky Riding, chief executive of BARDOC, added: “BARDOC is totally focused on its community and our experience means that others frequently call on us for support. That is what helps join-up health and social care so successfully in Rochdale. We are a credible concern with deep roots but we are also an organisation that is willing to learn and adapt in an environment that is constantly changing.”