RCGP Conference and Beyond

It’s been an exhilarating, if exhausting, week. Our Conference last week in Glasgow was an enormous success, and as ever it was a brilliant opportunity to meet many of you there. I was particularly impressed to see how many associates-in-training had attended the Conference this year and to see the excellent small group work taking place.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my enormous thanks to Clare Gerada, who has worked tirelessly with her team over the past year to organise what was a fantastic, inspirational conference. Clare’s vision, creativity and hard work ensured that the Conference was such an enormous success, and without her continued commitment and enthusiasm it would not have been possible.

I would also like to thank the in-house staff at the RCGP for their efforts in ensuring the Conference went without a hitch, and Profile Productions, our organisers, for their invaluable assistance.

Of course, the Conference is not céilidhs and coffee mornings – I also found time to attend some excellent speeches and presentations. I felt that one of the big successes of the Conference were the variety of Revalidation themed sessions.

The headline Revalidation workshop – Revalidation Ready? – was a particular highlight, and demonstrated an encouraging shift in attitudes toward Revalidation as it edges ever closer. There seemed to be a general feeling of confidence and positivity among the attendees, where previously there was anxiety and fear. This is a fantastic development, and one which I support wholeheartedly.

There was a good response to the CPD credit scheme, and any remaining concerns are now in the hands of others. With this now in place, the RCGP is ready to lead the way in ensuring that we have an appropriate appraisal scheme and systems of CPD. I believe very firmly that Revalidation is actually about professional development and not about finding another Harold Shipman.

It’s difficult to single out any particular presentations, but I must mention Gordon Moore’s. His views on the US healthcare system offered invaluable insight and were enormously thought provoking.

Of course, discussions on the issue of Practice Boundaries dominated the Conference. I’ve commented widely on this issue to the media, and it was a key feature of my keynote speech. There are a small number of patients who want the continuity of care provided by GPs but can’t get it because technically their home is not where they spend most of their time. There are patients who wish to choose a high quality practice but currently are having difficulty in doing so because of how boundaries are drawn. We said we’d work with the DH to look at solutions, and I know that the GPC has also indicated its willingness to discuss the issues with them. Providing excellent patient care should, and must always remain our priority, and continuity of care is vital in achieving this – isn’t it fantastic that people are calling for more opportunities to have the high quality and continuity of care provided by GPs.

I’ve returned from the Conference to a flurry of media interest, and have given a number of interviews over the last week to discuss issues raised at the Conference. On Wednesday I was interviewed by CBS to discuss the UK’s swine flu vaccination programme. The CBS interview aired late last week, and in it I talk about the contrast between the UK and US response to swine flu, and our comparative vaccination programmes.

In my keynote speech, I commended the current UK programme and its ability to target those most at need, in comparison to the US programme, which I said was "the survival of the fittest and the richest".

It’s a contentious issue, and one which is very close to the heart of a particularly angry American woman who got in touch with me this week in order to respond to my comments. She wrote:

“You and the rest of the world can go jump in a lake. Any idiot that opens his mouth - publicly criticizing hard-working Americans - should do just a little more research into what has really been happening in my country. And.....here's a BIG clue for you! You are NOT going to see it on CNN or any of the mainstream media. I never thought I would live to see the day when our media was as corrupt as Russia's was when I was growing up. You will need to do a little seeking to find the real stories - basically, they will be the OPPOSITE of what you are apparently basing your uninformed opinions on.”

I suppose this just highlights the old cliché that you can’t please all of the people all of the time…

I believe that we are very fortunate to have a national health service with general practice at its heart. It made me very proud to see you all at the Conference and to hear about the brilliant work you’re doing day to day to raise standards of care for our patients ever higher. I look forward to seeing you all again at the Conference next year.

As always, both I and the College value your opinions and feedback enormously, and I urge you to get in touch if you have any comments or questions for me.

Yvonne Carter

Today’s blog is devoted to just one subject.

This has been a very sad week for us at the College, and for me personally. Yvonne Carter, Dean of Warwick Medical School and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Warwick University, has died, and yesterday I attended the funeral in Kenilworth as a friend and on behalf of the College as a whole.

I’ve known Yvonne for years; in practice, College and university. Throughout the years she's been a great friend and colleague. She was a determined woman with a wicked sense of humour.

Yvonne was a role model for GPs and, in particular, for women doctors. She was a great teacher, brilliant researcher and highly effective leader.

She died aged 50 - far too young - having battled breast cancer for many years. She leaves her husband Michael, her son Christopher and her sister Alma. My thoughts go out to them.

The funeral, held at the St Francis of Assisi church in Kenilworth was packed with her many friends and colleagues from across this country and further afield.

The family have requested that contributions in memory of Yvonne are made to Cancer Research or the Yvonne Carter Memorial Fund. The Yvonne Carter Memorial Fund is being established at Warwick University with the intention of benefiting the support and recognition of Warwick Medical School students throughout their studies.

Donations to the Yvonne Carter Memorial Fund can be made online. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The University of Warwick’ and sent to FREEPOST RSBC-JAAG-TEST, Development & Alumni Relations, University of Warwick, University House, Kirby Corner Road, COVENTRY, CV4 8UW.

The First Post

This is my first post in the blogosphere proper - thank you for joining me

You may be aware that i have been publishing messages and sending them to members of the RCGP over the past two years - indeed i have also published them on the RCGP website - but now i plan to make them available online so that i can share ideas and concerns and receive your thoughts and comments

This is a short post to say hello and test the system! The College IT system is not up to blogging so i have opted to break free!

And why you may ask use the title The Point of Kairos well it comes from a book written by my good friend Roger Neighbour - the Inner Apprentice - Roger's Inner Consultation helped me to understand the consultation while his Inner Apprentice helped me on my road to becoming an educator - thank you Roger!

Kairos is the Greek word for the right time for action - well I believe that the time is right and we have reached in Roger's words the 'critical moment when something significant is poised to happen'.

The financial crisis has focussed the minds of politicians and those running the NHS. The departments of health in all four countries that make up the UK are going to be under severe financial pressure regardless of who wins the election. But, there are tremendous opportunities for GPs to influence what health care will look like in the future. The time has come for strong medical leadership across the UK - lets seize the moment and ensure that we continue to have a National Health Service that we can be proud of.