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Letter of resignation sent to the chairman of the BMJPG Board, Sir Anthony Grabham

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�27 May 2004

Dear Tony

I�m writing to confirm that I�m resigning from my post as editor of the BMJ and chief executive of the BMJ Publishing Group.

I�ve been with the journal for just over twenty five years, and I�ve had a marvellous time. I don�t suppose that many people can be lucky enough to feel as positively about their job as I�ve felt about mine over that quarter of a century.

My time at the BMJ divided neatly into two portions with an academic year at the Stanford Business School in the middle. In the first half I had nothing to do with the business or with the BMA and spent my time writing, editing, and commissioning. This was a time of great freedom.

In the second half I had the great privilege to be editor of the journal and chief executive of the publishing group. As editor of the BMJ I have been its steward, and I hope that you�ll agree that I�m handing it over to my successor in at least a good a condition as I inherited it. As chief executive, I�ve worked hard to try and develop the group and secure its future, and I think that the business is strong � even though there are great threats on the horizon.

My greatest pleasure in all my time at the BMJ has been to work with a wonderful and talented group of people, and I want to thank you, the Board, and the BMA for its support.

Best wishes

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Richard Smith

Editor BMJ

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P.S. I�m enclosing a copy of the letter that I sent to all staff last Wednesday.

Copy: Mr J Johnson, Mr J Strachan, Stella Dutton, Lisa Gibson

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Letter to the staff of the BMJ Publishing Group

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Dear All,

I�m leaving the BMJ Publishing Group to become the chief executive of a new company that the UnitedHealth Group is setting up in Europe to work in partnership with European health systems, including the NHS.

As you can imagine, this is a bitter sweet day for me. I�ve been at the BMJ for just over 25 years, 13 of them as editor. The BMJ has in some (vaguely pathological) sense been "my life," and working with all of you has been an unreserved pleasure.

So leaving is like a bereavement, but I believe that in the longer term it will be good for the group, the BMJ itself, you, and, I hope, me.

I�ve spent long hours considering the many pluses and minuses of leaving, but ultimately I have two reasons for going. Firstly, it must be a good thing to be "repotted": 25 years in one place, albeit a very agreeable one, is a long time, probably too long. Secondly, I�m lucky at 52 to be presented with a new challenge. The new company, although part of a huge one, will in effect be a "start up," with all the excitement and uncertainty that implies. I hope that we can do great things for the NHS and other health services in Europe�but we will have to constantly learn, innovate, and explore.

The new company is already working with 10 primary care trusts. One programme is designed to identify frail, elderly people and coordinate services to keep them out of hospital. The programme has already proved successful in the US in raising the satisfaction levels of patients and their carers and in cutting hospital admissions by 50%. It will be interesting for me after 25 years commenting on the NHS to be part of trying to help it modernise.

I have to negotiate with the BMA when I will leave, but I hope that it will be possible for me to leave in the late summer. I will continue going at full speed until the day I leave (I don�t, of course, know any other speed).

It�s important to me that I have a chance to talk to all of you about all of this. For me, this letter is beginning a conversation not ending one.

Thank you to everybody for working so hard for the group, doing so many good things, supporting me, and being so much fun to work with.

Best wishes

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Richard

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Fare Well Richard Smith: susanne McCabe
bmj.com, 28 May 2004 [Full text]
Very Best Wishes: Chris Manning
bmj.com, 28 May 2004 [Full text]
Sorry to hear you are going: Katherine M Venables
bmj.com, 28 May 2004 [Full text]
Farewell and thank you: Vasiliy Vlassov
bmj.com, 28 May 2004 [Full text]
Valediction to Richard Smith: Dr. Naseem A. Qureshi, MD, IMAPA, LMIPS
bmj.com, 28 May 2004 [Full text]
Will miss the weekly jolt!: Saty Satya Murti
bmj.com, 29 May 2004 [Full text]
Don't be modest!: Steven Ford
bmj.com, 29 May 2004 [Full text]
Thankyou: Adam P Wander
bmj.com, 1 Jun 2004 [Full text]
Thank you, Richard: Neal Maskrey
bmj.com, 3 Jun 2004 [Full text]