GP trainees have been heard loud and clear over the past year, thanks partly to the hard work of the BMA’s GP trainee committee.
At its helm is Dr Tom Micklewright, who has achieved a number of wins, most notably campaigns to improve out-of-hours training for student doctors and establishing a positive culture of safe working limits – which, he says, begins with trainees.
Elsewhere, Dr Micklewright has helped develop guidance for practices hosting GP trainees and a guide supporting LMCs and trainee doctors to work together efficiently.
He has boosted communication with GPs in training with improved access to information via a newsletter, website and Twitter account. He also blogged about the ‘disbelief and heartbreak’ of colleagues who see staff threatened with deportation, following the case of Singapore-born GP trainee Dr Luke Ong, who was later allowed to stay in the UK.
Dr Micklewright says his top moment of the year was when he was invited to address the LMCs Conference.
‘It was the first time the GP trainee chair had been invited to do this and it was an honour to connect with so many GPs and trainees,’ he says.
Away from his lobbying work, Dr Micklewright, who practises in Chester, is studying for an MSc in medical leadership. He was also interviewed by the BBC about the impact of the winter crisis on general practice.
What others say ‘Tom’s work shows the strength of a united profession’
