GPs recognised in 2026 New Year Honours list
Five GPs have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list for their achievements and contributions to healthcare.
The 2026 list recognises the ‘achievements and service of extraordinary people’ from across the UK in their respective industries.
Dr Stephen Shortt, GP partner and deputy medical director for primary care at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB, was awarded an OBE for his services to general practice.
Dr Shortt, who has been a GP in Nottinghamshire since 1992, said he was ‘humbled and chuffed’ to receive the award.
He has held a number of other roles – including being a GP advisor to the Department of Health and Social Care, and also helping establish a not-for-profit organisation which provides out of hours services and other urgent primary care services in the area.
In response to the award, he added: ‘Healthcare is, as we all know, a team game, and the NHS is perhaps the greatest team of all. That I have been able to take some responsibility for taking care of it, trying, and in parts actually succeeding, to make it better makes me happy and proud.’
‘However, there is nothing that I have achieved that hasn’t been owed to a professional lifetime of collaboration with wonderful colleagues.
‘I have learned the essential importance of having an occupation you feel enthusiastic and passionate about, so that work doesn’t feel like work or a job. I think the key to this is never to think of patients as our problem but rather that they are our purpose, and indeed our teammates.’
Dr Neil Walden, a former GP and non-executive board member of NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB, was awarded an MBE for his services to healthcare.
He has held various local leadership roles throughout his career, and since his retirement in 2019 has worked to shape integrated care across the region, developing neighbourhood health to bring care closer to patients.
Chair of NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB and NHS Devon ICB John Govett congratulated Dr Walden on his achievement, saying that his ‘commitment to listening to local people and working collaboratively’ had greatly impacted local services.
He added: ‘This honour is a fitting tribute to his dedication and leadership over many years and reflects the impact he continues to have in shaping services that support us to shift health care from hospitals to communities and in driving neighbourhood system working over many years.’
Three other GPs also made the list and were awarded British Empire Medals.
Dr Graeme Allan, volunteer medical director at Southport Macmillan Centre and former cancer lead GP in Sefton, was awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to the community in Southport, Merseyside.
Dr Allen has worked in a health commissioning role for cancer services for over 20 years, trying to improve the care and support available locally to people affected by cancer. He established a local cancer navigator service, which ensures all newly diagnosed patient have a universal offer of access to support -including emotional, psychological and lifestyle optimisation – through referral from their GP.
The other GPs recognised were:
- Professor Nigel Hart, academic GP at Queen’s University who was honoured for his services to primary care, medical research and training.
- Dr Christopher Cuff, former GP and regional medical adviser for the south west Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) who was honoured for his services to maritime safety.
Former NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard was also recognised for her services to the NHS, and was made a Dame.
Ms Pritchard resigned from NHS England in February last year, a month before the health secretary announced that the national commissioner would be abolished in an attempt to ‘reduce duplication’ with the Department of Health and Social Care. She is currently the CEO of Guys’ and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust – a role she previously held before her time at NHSE.
