By Nigel Praities
GPs from across the country have been recognised in the Queen's New Year Honours List.
Of the six GPs on the list, the most prominent is Professor Lewis Ritchie, GP adviser to the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland and a GP in Peterhead, who has been granted a knighthood for services to the NHS in Scotland.
Northern Irish GP Dr Brian Patterson, a former chair of the BMA in Northern Ireland, has also received an honour - an OBE for services to healthcare.
Current chair Dr Paul Darragh said Dr Patterson had made an ‘immense' contribution: ‘Brian is known to many as the "Doctor's Doctor" – an accolade which demonstrates the depth of respect and appreciation for his leadership and representation of the medical profession in Northern Ireland.'
Other GPs receiving awards included Dr Kay Saunders and Dr Sanjoy Kumar who were made MBEs for services to healthcare and homeless people in Cardiff, and services for the police in East London respectively.
Dr Satya Sharma, a GP in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, and Dr Richard West, a GP in Suffolk, were also made MBEs for services to healthcare.
Professor Sir Lewis Richie
