Dr McLaughlin exemplifies the values of grassroots GPs, particularly in her work with vulnerable patients. She is integral to the award-winning Connecting Care for Children (CC4C) initiative, which has six child health GP hubs across north-west London, each of which connects four or five local GP practices and provides joint paediatric and GP expertise to improve care for children and young people. The hub model covers one-third of children and young people in the catchment area, has significantly reduced the high rates of paediatric A&E attendance and unnecessary outpatient appointments, and has the potential to save more than £11m if scaled across the local STP.
In addition to her work with CC4C, Dr McLaughlin has a specialist interest in women’s health. She has helped improve perinatal mental healthcare provision in her CCG, having delivered 23 specialist training sessions across north-west London. Through these, she has enabled colleagues across the CCG to identify and better support women with perinatal mental health problems.
Elsewhere, Dr McLaughlin leads on a public health initiative to develop and empower community health champions. This project trains members of the public to become experts in type 2 diabetes, so they can educate and support other patients in managing their disease.
What colleagues say: ‘Niamh’s many workstreams make a real difference to provision of care but, more importantly, to each individual patient journey’ Dr Arpana Soni, paediatric fellow, Connecting Care for Children, London
