28. Dr Robert Varnam

This Manchester GP is leading the largest primary care improvement support programme the country has ever seen.

The ‘Time for Care’ programme is aimed at helping practices make small, timesaving changes that allow GPs to spend 10% more time with patients.

To date, more than half of England’s CCGs have signed up and over 400 GPs, practice nurses and practice managers have had training.

Dr Varnam said demand has been so great he has had to ‘bring in new people all the time to keep up’.

He says: ‘It’s a great problem to have. Practices are finding they’re freeing up significant amounts of time, making workload bearable and improving care for patients at the same time.’

He adds: ‘I and thousands of practice staff owe a big thanks to the Sustainable Improvement Team at NHS England and their growing faculty of facilitators. Working against some huge logistical challenges, they’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country to help practices implement improvements that benefit themselves and their patients.

‘And they’ve done it with grace and kindness. Every practice or leader I meet has nothing but praise for them and the impact they’re having.’

Why influential

Charged with freeing up GPs to see patients

What others say

‘Passionate about quality improvement in general practice’

Random fact

Nearly ditched medicine to work in recording studio