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| Gongs..... |
Certainly some in the healthcare sector have been honoured in the New Year's Honour list.
Not many GPs in the list, but I guess that we aren't the flavour of the month. Those that do have all been supporters of Government policy.
Dr Has Joshi has been a stalwart in the Royal College of GPs, and was a practising GP in South Wales, as well as an educator: his honour is well deserved, although he is flaky on revalidation. He has been made an MBE - deserves more.
Professor Ruth Chambers is an academic and part-time GP. She is keen on developing skills in commissioning.
Dr Paul Zollinger-Read is a typical man for honours. Started as a GP in Cambridgeshire, and moved into management, he is a key person both in the development of commissioning and in the King's Fund 'charity' which has largely been taken over by right-wing privatisers. His award was pretty predictable.
Dr James Kingsland is an archetypal GP on the make. He has been involved with the Government's agenda, and as a part-time GP in Wallasey he has taken part at every stage of the privatisation and commissioning projects. He is heavily involved with the private sector, and is a Government insider.
4 GPs, all very part-time. All support Government policy.
Elsewhere, those in the NHS future forum have been richly rewarded: Julie Moore and Moira Gibb have both been made DBE (so there is a place next to David Nicholson's knighthood on the mantelpiece for Julie). Hilary Chapman becomes a CBE. Jimmy Steele a CBE. All on the NHS Future Forum that helped de-toxify the NHS bill, but did not change it.
I see in the list includes Dr William Cunningham of Corbridge, Northumberland, who gets an MBE (he is retired and was involved in commissioning). As goes Dr Gabriel Ivbajaro in London, another who is heavily involved in commissioning.
Not a single average GP who is full-time and not involved in commissioning.
I can think of 20 who really deserve accolades, however.
