The future direction of general
practice will be the theme of the 2006 Harvard Davis Lecture by
Professor Mayur Lakhani, Chairman of the RCGP.
Professor Mayur Lakhani - Chairman
of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a practising GP -
will praise the work of GPs and their practice teams and argue that
to improve patient care, the NHS will need to build on the
strengths and values of general practice such as the doctor-patient
relationship, generalism and holistic care.
To meet the clinical needs of
patients in the future, Professor Lakhani will also suggest that GP
practices are given support to evolve into well organised learning
organisations with a critical mass, embracing new models of care to
provide a greater range of appropriate services closer to home -
including diagnostics, improved access and quality and safety of
patient care. This will require GP clinical champions and
co-operation between GPs and practices where appropriate.
He will make the case that good GPs
will continue to be essential to the future of the NHS - working at
an advanced level, dealing with co-morbidity and complexity,
diagnosis of undifferentiated presentations and offering clinical
leadership and support to expanded but integrated teams. He will
also look at the essential role of good general practice in dealing
with health inequalities - a particular issue for Wales.
Professor Lakhani said: “General
practice has shown itself to be flexible and adaptable to meet the
challenges facing it. Change is already occurring on the ground
where GPs are organising themselves to improve patient care.
“I am proud of the work GPs do -
but to meet the challenges of the future it is essential to embrace
new models of care that build on the strengths and values of
general practice. Leadership and ambition from GPs and partnerships
with patients will be essential in making this happen.”
Ends
Press contact: Heather Whitney,
RCGP Press Office 020 7344 3137 hwhitney@rcgp.org.uk
Notes to editors
The Harvard Davis Lecture is held
by one of the three Welsh Faculties each year. It was established
by the Welsh Council of the RCGP in 1986 to honour the first
incumbent of the Chair of General Practice in the University of
Wales College of Medicine.
Professor Mayur Lakhani, RCGP
Chairman of Council, will be presenting the 2006 Harvard Davis
Lecture entitled General Practice – the best is yet to come!
The lecture will be presented at The Imperial Hotel, Llandudno on
Thursday 5 October from 7pm.
The Royal College of General
Practitioners is the largest membership organisation in the United
Kingdom solely for GPs. It aims to encourage and maintain the
highest standards of general medical practice and to act as the
“voice” of GPs on issues concerned with education, training,
research and clinical standards. Founded in 1952, the RCGP has over
25,000 members who are committed to improving patient care,
developing their own skills and promoting general practice as a
discipline. www.rcgp.org.uk