News from our STW General Practice partner:

Two years after the formal establishment of the GP Board, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Charlotte Hart and Dr Jess Harvey as our new Co-Chairs.

After the GP Board was created to amplify the voice of General Practice across the county, progressed under the leadership of outgoing Chair Dr Julian Povey, Charlotte and Jess will now take the reins - bringing a wealth of clinical expertise and a shared passion for advancing General Practice.

Charlotte is a partner at Radbrook Green Surgery and Clinical Director for Shrewsbury Primary Care Network (PCN). She has a strong background in education, starting out as a Training Programme Director (TPD) then leading the Master’s in Education programme at Keele University. She then became a presenter for Red Whale GP Update, leading on a variety of projects and developing safeguarding updates. Charlotte took on the role of Clinical Director for Shrewsbury PCN in 2020, where she’s been involved in projects such as the Winter Illness Centre. She’s also part of the NHS Confederation Clinical Advisory Group.

Jess is a partner at Much Wenlock and Cressage Medical Practice and Clinical Director of South-East Shropshire PCN. Jess has been working with several partners within our system on projects such as the new Highley Health and Wellbeing Centre - including a library redesign, setting up a Pain Management Service and driving change with dementia care, establishing a Dementia multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Jess is also a member of the Rebuild GP A Team and is involved in helping to give General Practice a voice.

The GP Board was originally founded by Dr Kieran McCormack as a sub-committee of the Local Medical Committee (LMC). Through his work, the Board gained a mandate from local practices and now operates as an independent body, part-funded by NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (the ICB) in recognition of the vital role General Practice plays in our health system.

Charlotte and Jess officially began their roles as Co-Chairs at the beginning of April, and shared the following message:

“We are honoured to step into the roles of Co-Chairs and look forward to building on the solid foundations laid by Dr McCormack and Dr Povey.

“We’ve been working together since the pandemic when we collaborated with the ICB on communications and media projects. We’ve also worked closely on Development Meetings, Women’s Health Hubs, and exploring the Shropshire Collaborative. We bring different perspectives and skills to the table and by sharing the role of Co-Chairs, we hope to create a strong, sustainable, and flexible approach to our work.

“Our key priorities will be ensuring that every corner of our vibrant General Practice network is heard and represented. We aim to provide thoughtful, experienced leadership that fosters equity, collaboration and engagement - encouraging open dialogue and shared learning across the system.

“We aim to do this by:

• Having a unified voice within the system, representing practices to support, sustain and shape the future of Primary Care in the county.
• Supporting the ICB, alongside other partners, in developing strategic approaches across the ICS, Place and Neighbourhood levels to help deliver optimal health and wellbeing care throughout Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
• Taking a collaborative approach not only between practices and PCNs, but with system partners to enhance the healthcare offer with appropriate resource and through efficient and effective working.
• To provide a safe, open and constructive environment for ideas, proposals, presentations and queries from those within our system and outside, emphasising the importance of acceptable and appropriate conduct.
• Using experience and knowledge of Primary Care to help address and improve health inequalities, including that of ethnicity, rurality and areas of known deprivation.
• To work with practices to explore a formal collaboration which would have potential to be a system-wide provider working at scale to deliver efficient care whilst maintaining local flexibility and the practices as the priority.

“We’re grateful to Dr Povey for his commitment and leadership over the past two years. His insight and dedication have been instrumental, and we’re excited to continue this important work. Our main goal is to be a strong voice for you and work with partners to help make General Practice more sustainable - not just financially, but also in terms of our personal resilience and wellbeing.

“Thank you for taking the time to read this, especially given all the pressures and challenges we’re facing right now. We’d also like to say a big thank you for the opportunity to represent you. We are both in close communications, with shared diaries, so please feel able to email one of us and know it will be shared. Our emails are j.harvey1@nhs.net and charlotte.hart@nhs.net.

“We are truly grateful for the chance to try and be a small part in helping General Practice in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin shift from surviving to thriving. Practices will always remain our priority, and we hope you feel comfortable reaching out to us whenever needed. Here's to the next two years!”

Dr Charlotte Hart (left) and Dr Jess Harvey (right)