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15. Dr Matt Mayer

15 dr mayer matt power50 2017 15

15 dr mayer matt power50 2017 15

As chair of the campaign and welfare organisation GP Survival and a representative on the GPC’s regional and sessional GP committees, Dr Mayer sees his role as an ambassador for those at the coalface of general practice.

He performs this role formally at the GPC and in his position in the BMA Communications Reference group.

But in his GP Survival role he has won plaudits ‘enforcing action’ from the BMA by ‘deftly shining a light on our elected representatives to enforce action’ and representing grassroots at higher levels.

One nomination said he was ‘going from strength to strength’ currently engaged in ‘sorting out IR35 for the GPC’ after he wrote the guidance on tax changes which hit sessional GPs particularly hard.

Dr Mayer is a canny operator, speaking to journalists and the odd debt collection agency, to strong arm organisations that routinely leave GPs fruitlessly chasing payments to take their demands seriously.

This happened first with locum agency Primary Care People who fell behind on payments, ironically after trying to take the stress out of IR35 changes for their practice and locum clients, and then with support service provider Capita.

And it has worked, with a promise from PCP that every locum GP registered with them would be paid by the end of August.

Dr Mayer says this is the ‘thing taking up most of my time currently’ and that he has now ‘gathered data on dozens of practices collectively owed hundreds of thousands of pounds’. He is working with the BMA and collection agencies on how to coordinate further action but insists GP Survival ‘will continue down this path until the Capita issue is resolved.’

Next year he says GP Survival will keep doing whatever it takes to get the profession ‘the respect and resources it deserves’ so GPs can get back to enjoying the job without ‘fear of personal and financial ruin.’

 And you have to wish him well in that endeavour.

Why influential

Grassroots champion unafraid to speak truth to those in power

What others say

‘His work for GP Survival has been incredible’

Random fact

Often plays the game Minecraft late into the night because he finds it ‘therapeutic’