After the Second World War there were three general practices in Bradford on Avon.

Dr Ap Simon lived at St Olave’s, a handsome house in Silver Street. The surgery formed part of his home, and he was joined there by Dr Barnett, who had served with the RAMC during the war, and Dr Thomas, who had left the Royal Air Force. Meanwhile, Dr Gibson and Dr Maloney practiced at Prospect House in Frome Road which is now the veterinary surgery. Two lady doctors, Dr Burnett and Dr McDonald, also set up a general practice at St Margaret's House.

The practices were in competition with one another; the doctors made routine home visits after church on Sunday and virtually all babies, even breech deliveries, were born at home.

When Dr Ap Simon retired, Dr Barnett and Dr Thomas rented Dutch Barton in Church Street which is now the dental practice. A few years later they amalgamated with Dr Gibson and Dr Maloney and moved to Prospect House.

There were no practice nurses and no manager. Blood tests were done and Dr Thomas kept the accounts in longhand. The practice later took on a female partner, Dr Catt, who drove a Mini Cooper.

The 1960s saw the introduction of health promotion as a concept and the Health Centre was built to house community staff, health visitors and district nurses. Five years later, the Prospect House practice moved to the extended Health Centre, where it has remained ever since.

The range of services offered has grown enormously over the past 50-odd years, as technology, drugs and expectations have altered. However, the aim of providing a high standard of comprehensive family medicine has remained exactly the same.

A branch site at Winsley was opened in April 2006 to provide improved local services to patients in the Winsley, Limpley Stoke area.