Tamar Faculty
Welcome from Tamar Faculty, we support over 1,250 members, Fellows, Associates and GP registrars across Devon and Cornwall. The Faculty is a group of volunteer RCGP members who provide local networking, education and support for members in the area.
Latest Faculty updates
We are pleased to offer four funded spaces for the Principles of Primary Care course, delivered by the University of Exeter. For more details, please see the Awards and Prizes section below.
Introducing your new Tamar Faculty IMG Leads
Dr Nicole Nation is a familiar face to many in Torbay. A proud Jamaican and former trainee of the Torbay VTS scheme, she now works as a salaried GP at Chelston Hall. With a passion for mentoring and a calm dedication to wellbeing, photography, walking, and yoga all of which keeps her grounded. Nicole is the Near Peer Support Fellow for IMGs in Torbay. She brings invaluable insight from both sides of the training journey, with a focus on helping others thrive in a system that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Dr Tochi Achonye
Dr Tochi Achonye, currently a GP registrar in Plymouth, brings a spirit of warmth, resilience, and deep empathy to his role. Originally trained in Nigeria, his UK journey has been shaped by the kindness and wisdom of fellow IMGs, and he’s now paying that forward. With a young family of his own, Tochi understands the balancing act many IMGs face. His vision is clear: to create a vibrant, connected, and supportive community where IMGs feel seen, supported, and celebrated.
Get involved
The RCGP Tamar Faculty recruitment
The RCGP Tamar Faculty recruitment are recruiting for a number of positions on their board.
Did you know that you can make even more of your membership by joining our community at a local level? Members of our Faculty Board have opportunities to network and connect with peers, develop personally and professionally and know they are supporting great doctors, providing great care – three incredible reasons to get involved.
Our Faculty board is made up of local GPs from Devon and Cornwall, meetings are four times a year, online, they are informal and friendly, they are a chance to meet and discuss matters of the day with peers and colleagues and input at a local level to decisions made by the RCGP Council. Additionally, there are also opportunities to meet in person at some of our in person events.
Some of the other benefits of being on the board include:
- Discount to RCGP Annual Conference
- Invitation to members summit at 30 Euston Square
- Input and suggest events and opportunities for local doctors
Current vacancies
- Deputy Council representative - Dr Nick Hodges represents the Tamar Faculty at four Council meetings per year, where he informs on the board views on Council papers. We are recruiting a deputy Council representative to attend when Nick is not available. To find our more email tamar@rcgp.org.uk
- Vice chair
- Faculty Climate and Sustainability Lead
- GP Registrar Committee member - Cornwall
We are looking for a GP registrar from Cornwall to join our group of GP registrars. We aim to bring information to our peers, and submit ideas on how the Tamar Faculty can support GP registrars around the region. This is an informal group and all are welcome. Please contact Alice Sefton at tamar@rcgp.org.uk for more information.
For more information and to apply for the roles, contact Alice Sefton.
Upcoming events
21 May 2025
RCGP Free BLS training - Devon 10.00am
RCGP Tamar Faculty members are invited to FREE BLS sessions with BLS instructor, Nicole Carr, the session will deliver a lively and dynamic update, covering adult and child BLS...
21 May 2025
RCGP Free BLS training - Devon 12.00pm
RCGP Tamar Faculty members are invited to FREE BLS sessions with BLS instructor, Nicole Carr, the session will deliver a lively and dynamic update, covering adult and child BLS...
21 May 2025
Governance Review - developing changes to College Governing Documents
Members are invited to a webinar to hear an update on the work of the Governance Review.
21 May 2025
Neurodiversity in GP Training: The Case for Early Screening
Join Dr. Arif for a candid webinar where she shares her journey as an undiagnosed neurodivergent GP trainee and the challenges she faced along the way. From hidden struggles to...
Board meetings
The Faculty Board meet four times per year to discuss our local engagement activities and issues pertinent to our members, we then feed back to the College Council. Our Board meetings currently take place online giving equal access to as many members as possible. All local members are warmly invited to attend Board meetings and participate in these discussions.
Local training and development
Fellowship
December 2024
Fellowship is an honour and a mark of achievement recognising a significant contribution to health and welfare of the community, science or practice of medicine, and/or aims of RCGP, or any organisation which benefits general practice. Full details of applying for Fellowship can be found at RCGP Fellowship.
If you are unsure about any part of Fellowship or want to know more about the process please contact the Tamar Faculty for more information. The Faculty actively encourages its members of 5 years plus standing to consider putting themselves forward for Fellowship. We have a Faculty Fellowship Committee (FFC) within the Faculty, led by Dr Laura Sims, Chair of the Faculty Fellowship Committee. The FFC can offer advice and support through the Tamar Faculty office.
Awards and prizes
We host annual awards and prizes to celebrate and recognise innovation and excellence in general practice across the Tamar area.
The Kieran Sweeney Prize 2025
A national UK prize for medical writing by GPs
Awarded by The Tamar Faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
The Tamar Faculty of the RCGP is proud to once again honour Dr Kieran Sweeney’s memory with a national prize of £1,000 for the best original submission from a practicing GP in response to the question: "Is the GP model for delivering Primary Care outdated for society in 2025?".
How to enter:
For more information contact the Faculty administrator.
Principles of Primary Care course funding
The RCGP Tamar Faculty are pleased to offer funding for four spaces (£250 per person) on the Principles of Primary Care CPD Course being run by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter.
Course dates
Friday 25th April 2025 (full day, hybrid delivery)
For more information on the Principles of Primary Care course, visit the University of Exeter website.
Applicant Criteria
Active RCGP Tamar Faculty Member
Application process
Complete the funding application form. Applicants will be asked to write a paragraph explaining why this course would be beneficial to them. Applicants will need to book and pay for the course, provide the Faculty with proof of payment. The Faculty will refund the cost after the course, upon receiving a certificate of attendance.
What is Primary Care? What are its core principles? How does it deliver outstanding health outcomes?
Public Health and Primary Care are key to the delivery of healthcare for populations from birth to old age. Primary care is also the most efficient form of care and the chosen way to deliver health for all (WHO). But there is sometimes a lack of understanding about its core principles and the evidence behind its efficiency. Knowledge of these key principles may give practitioners a new sense of pride in what they do and for policymakers may demystify some of the hype around primary care and general practice.
This one-day course provides a unique insight into practical solutions to these issues and can help health professionals to make a meaningful impact in their communities – whether based in the UK or in other countries.
Course expertise
The course is delivered by internationally recognised practitioners and researchers. They have been key contributors towards defining what primary care is and providing the evidence that underpins it:
Professor Alex Harding, internationally recognised as a family practitioner, a highly regarded senior academic and researcher will lead the day with Dr Martyn Hewett, Experienced NHS GP and medical educator with a proven track record of leadership and innovation in healthcare and adult education.
You can read about the origins of the course in this article, 'How Exeter is helping to strengthen primary care expertise globally'.
Meet your faculty
Faculty Officers
- Dr Nick Hodges - Chair & Council Representative
- Dr Susanna Hill - Provost
- Dr Helen Stephens - Treasurer & Training Programme Representative
Faculty Board Members
- Dr Jonathan White
- Dr Humera Sultan - Education Lead
- Dr Joanna Butterworth - Medical School representative
- Dr Judit Konya - Medical School representative, First5 Lead
- Mrs Fiona Cook - Practice Nurse Representative
- Professor Sir Denis Pereira Gray - Honorary Member
- Dr Deepthi Lavu - GP registrar Lead
- Dr Jenna Hussain - GP registrar committee member
- Dr Taha Khan – GP registrar committee member
- Dr Richard Pratt - Digital representative
- Dr Laura Sims - Faculty Fellowship Lead
- Dr Chris Campbell - Fellowship Committee member
- Dr Emilie Tindall - Foundation Doctor representative
- Dr Bajit Kalsi - Later Careers and Retired Members representative
- Dr Molly Parkinson - GP registrar committee member
- Lorena Muro Yu – Exeter GPSoc representative
- Aarti Sriram – Plymouth GPSoc representative
- Charlotte Grimminger – First5 Lead
- Tochukwu Achonye – GP registrar committee member and IMG Lead
Contact us
Telephone: 020 3188 7712
Email: tamar@rcgp.org.uk
Office opening hours: Monday: 09:30 - 16:30, Wednesday and Thursday: 09:00 - 15:30
Your local Faculty Administrator is Alice Sefton.
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