Dr Simon Gregory, Northampton
Dr Simon Gregory FRCGP MMed works as a full-time GP in a six
partner practice in Northampton. His special interests include
medical education, respiratory medicine, women’s health and mental
health.
“For as long as I can remember I’ve always
wanted to be a GP. I grew up in a small village where the local
doctor was integral to the community, and I became a GP because the
core values of general practice really struck a chord - it is
important to me to be able to build long-term relationships with my
patients, to be there through the ups and downs in their lives, and
to act as their advocate in the healthcare system.
“My practice looks after a patient population
of 10,500 and at first I did my community aims difficult to
achieve. I’ve been at the practice since I qualified in 1995, and
it’s taken a long time, but I’ve become involved in the wider
community not only as a GP but also in my role as a School Governor
and Chairman of the local Scout District.
“Aside from its social values, there’s an
immense breadth to general practice, and it’s expanding all the
time. For example, one of my colleagues at the practice was a
surgeon before becoming a family doctor, so we’re now looking at
how we could provide more advanced minor surgery in the near
future."
Simon, a father of two, is also a member of
the RCGP Council, GP Postgraduate Dean of the East Midlands
Healthcare Workforce Deanery and Honorary Senior Lecturer in
Primary Care at De Montfort University, Leicester, and the
University of Leicester Medical School. He is a lead editor
for the forthcoming RCGP Curriculum Guide to Respiratory
Medicine.
“General practice is a vibrant profession that
is constantly striving for improvement. The first ever GP
curriculum will come into force later this year, and as well as
ensuring the highest standards of GP training nationally, it also
shows just how much primary care practitioners have to cover.
General Practice is not an easy option; it’s about much more than
coughs and colds”.
“As well as embracing a new way of training,
the profession also has to ‘future proof’ itself by making sure it
is on top of issues such as Practice Based Commissioning. As a
patient-centered profession we have to uphold the highest standards
no matter what challenges arise. Practicality and pragmatism are
the watchwords of general practice - no matter what is thrown at
them, GPs deliver.”