GP leader awarded CBE in Queen's Birthday Honours list
Professor Mayur Lakhani, Chairman of the Royal
College of General Practitioners (RCGP), has been appointed
Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday
Honours list for his services to medicine.
A practising GP in Leicester and Visiting
Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Leicester
University’s School of Medicine, Professor Lakhani was the
youngest doctor to be appointed as Chairman of Council of the Royal
College of General Practitioners - the largest medical royal
college in the UK and academy of family medicine in Europe. He is a
Fellow of the RCGP and the Royal College of Physicians.
Chairman since November 2004, Professor
Lakhani, 47, has led the RCGP during a time of NHS modernisation
and reform - and a period of great change for GPs. A strong
advocate of the role of the “modern” GP, promoting quality in
general practice and ever higher standards of patient care, he has
focussed on raising the profile of the college and making it a
leading player in the health community.
He has been determined to make the college
more inclusive for all GPs at all stages of their career. During
his time as Chairman and working with his team, membership of the
College has risen to a record high over 27,000 members.
Historic developments also include: the introduction of the
first-ever nationwide training curriculum; the MRCGP being
recommended as the entry standard for general practice and new
responsibility on medical royal colleges for
recertification.
Ranked as the 28th most influential
person in the UK health service by the Health Service Journal (HSJ)
in 2006, Professor Lakhani has won several awards for quality as a
GP Principal and is Editor-in-Chief of Quality in Primary
Care, the first European journal devoted to the subject.
He has sat on a number of Government advisory groups including the
Chief Medical Officer’s Advisory Group on Medical Regulation and
Assurance and the Ministerial Task Force on the Summary Care
Record.
An author of numerous journal articles,
Professor Lakhani has also co-edited the books Recent Advances
in Primary Care, A Celebration of General Practice and Evidence
Based Audit in General Practice.
His ‘Roadmap to General Practice’ – a landmark
document considering the future direction of the profession - will
be launched later this year.
Professor Lakhani is of Indian Origin and was
born in Uganda. He came to Britain in the expulsion of Asians from
Uganda by Idi Amin in 1972 and settled in Leicestershire.
Speaking about the award of the CBE, Professor
Lakhani said: “I want to thank my patients for allowing me the
privilege of being their family doctor - without their inspiration
none of this would have been possible. The award is recognition of
the key role played by all family doctors who work tirelessly to
raise standards.
“This honour is not just for me, but also for
my practice, the University of Leicester and especially for the
Royal College of General Practitioners. It is a tribute to
colleagues, friends and family who have given me such sterling
support over the last 10 years.”
Notes to Editors:
Interviews with Professor Lakhani can be
arranged via the RCGP PR Team on 020 7344 3135/6/7 or 07885 958
632; e-mail: press@rcgp.org.uk
The Royal College of General Practitioners
(RCGP) 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 27,000
members who are committed to improving patient care, developing
their own skills and promoting general practice as a discipline.
http://www.rcgp.org.uk/