‘It is important that you make your everyday work as stimulating and interesting as you can. You are in it for the long term, so don’t allow the job to wear you down,’ says Dr John Ip.
After a strong LMCs Conference where his line about his local benefits office being known as Lourdes: ‘you go in sick and come out cured!’ drew guffaws, Dr Ip’s political star is in the ascendant.
A GP partner in Paisley, secretary of Glasgow LMC and Scottish GPC executive member, he says being a GP and LMC secretary is ‘extremely rewarding’.
’I enjoy giving advice to fellow GPs that enables them to take their practice forward or avoid a dispute. Many GPs are often quite isolated and being available at the end of the phone is an important function of the LMC.’
He faces a tricky political year: ‘steering the LMC through the turbulent waters of health board boundary redrawing and ensuring that any changes to the contract are sensible and supported by GPs.
’After 13 years as a partner in practice and nine years as LMC secretary, I still get up in the morning looking forward to the day,’ he says.
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