Dr David Jenner

... on carnivorous plants, PBC and beaches

The best thing about my practice is the partners. We all get on so well.

My greatest fear is being stuck down a pothole in the dark with the water rising.

The trait I most deplore in myself is speaking first and thinking second.

The trait I most deplore in others is insincerity.

Being asked to write a note about everything to everyone, from exams to housing, is the worst thing about being a GP.

Getting a good night's sleep is the best thing about being a GP nowadays.

My most treasured possession is my collection of carnivorous plants.

My favourite fictional doctor is Dr Claire Maitland, Helen Baxendale's character in Cardiac Arrest.

Practice-based commissioning is important because it aligns responsibility for the budget with those people who actually know how best to spend it. People who are sceptical of PBC should remember as yet, NHS managers have not given it a chance.

My favourite phrase is 'can do'.

My greatest achievement is finding what I consider to be the perfect mix of work and pleasure.

The time and place I was happiest was at medical school – youthful vigour, few responsibilities and long summers on the beach.

The single thing that would most improve the quality of my life is guaranteed sunshine all year round.

My idea of perfect happiness is lying on a beach in Cornwall watching the dolphins play in the surf.

My most unappealing habit is sending emails from my laptop in bed at 5.30 in the morning.

If I could do one thing to change the world I would turn the temperature down two degrees – but not near me.

The guests at my ideal dinner party would be David Attenborough, Richard Attenborough, David Cameron (to find out what his policies might be), Kirsty Wark (to keep the others in order) and Shilpa Shetty.

One thing you might not know about me is I have an extensive collection of newts and salamanders.

CV

• GP in Cullompton, Devon

• National lead for NHS Alliance PBC federation

• Clinical director of CFEP UK Surveys

• Mid-Devon PCG chair from 1999/2001 and then PEC chair of the Mid-Devon PCT until September 2003