Dr Janet Hall, Sheffield
Dr Janet Hall MRCGP MRCP has worked as a full-time GP in Sheffield
since she qualified as a family doctor in 1998. She has a special
interest in cardiology, diabetes, paediatrics and minor surgery,
and has recently qualified as a GP trainer.
Janet, a mother of two, is also the RCGP
council representative for the Sheffield Faculty.
“Before I decided on general practice I was
interested in hospital medicine, and originally wanted to be a
cardiologist. However, after a brief spell in cardiology and then
paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology – all of which I greatly
enjoyed - I decided to switch to general practice as it allowed me
to practise medicine in a wide variety of areas.
“General practice has all the qualities I find
important – continuity of care, being able to build relationships
with patients and crucially, having opportunities to learn and
develop.
“The ethos of general practice is training,
education and learning, and I think this is the key to enthusing
and motivating staff and modernising the profession, which at times
can become confused by the many changes we have to adapt to.
“Although there have been lots of changes in
government and policy, such as the GP contract, the general nature
of the job remains the same. The politics change and we often have
to adapt systems and conform to bureaucracy, but quite often these
measures improve patient care, which is, after all, at the heart of
all we do.
“A welcome change in general practice is the
increasing role of the patient in improving local services. I’m
delighted that my practice has a very active and enthusiastic
Patient Group. They advise us on how to improve services for
patients and we in turn involve them in the practice as much as we
can. For example, if they help us to raise money for some new
equipment, we’ll organise lectures so we can tell them exactly what
the equipment will be used for, and the impact it will have.
“General practice is a dynamic profession, and
the future will bring yet more change, with a bigger emphasis on
multi-disciplinary teams, collaboration with other health
professionals and practice based commissioning. It is important for
GPs to develop leadership skills and the management side of general
practice.
“I chose this profession not only because I
wanted to access the wealth of opportunities it offered me as a
career, but also to be able to provide safe, high-quality,
accountable, patient-centered care that addresses health
inequalities. I feel very lucky that I look forward to going to
work each day, and that I have the chance to help to improve the
lives of people in my community.”