Helen Stokes-Lampard: GPs’ new chair and champion
BMJ 2016; 355 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6089 (Published 16 November 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;355:i6089
Biography
Helen Stokes-Lampard, 46, becomes chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners this week, succeeding Maureen Baker. Currently a GP partner at the Cloisters Medical Practice in Lichfield, she qualified at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London and has combined primary care with research and teaching at the University of Birmingham since 2000. She was clinical director of the Primary Care Trials Unit until 2012 and then head of undergraduate GP teaching, and she has been a mentor for doctors in difficulties in the Midlands. She believes that funding for core general practice should increase to 11% of the NHS budget to avert the collapse of primary care and that, if general practice thrives, the NHS can survive.
What was your earliest ambition?
To beat my dad, at anything.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
My dad. He was the first from our family to go to university, his integrity and his values driven ethos have underpinned everything he’s done, and he always encouraged me to be the best that I could be while being true to myself.
What was the worst mistake in your career?
I don’t believe that I’ve made mistakes per se, but I’ve certainly changed direction and moved sideways a few times, and everything I’ve done has provided valuable experience. I’ve learnt more from some of my failures than from my more overt successes.
What was your best career move?
Phoning the West Midlands Deanery looking for a six month placement in general practice that would allow me to get a training number in public health in 2000. I ended up speaking to Prof Steve Field, who persuaded me to try academic general practice.
Bevan or Hunt? Who has been the best and the worst health secretary in your lifetime?
Being health secretary is a terribly difficult job, and I’m not sure that I can judge, as it takes decades to be sure of any one person’s impact.
Who is the person you would most like to thank, and why?
It has to be both of my parents, as they’ve always been so wise and sensible with their advice to me, but also they’re supportive and have retained a great sense of humour and dignity despite a lot of adversity.
To whom would you most like to apologise?
My husband of 22 years, Paul. When I get home I’m initially frantic, trying to catch up with the domestic chores before we get any quality time. He’s very patient with me and is my best friend.
If you were given £1m what would you spend it on?
I come across many examples of where investment would make a huge difference to society, so this answer changes week by week. Currently, we need to encourage new doctors to seriously consider a career in primary care, so I’d invest in initiatives to showcase the amazing diversity of what goes on, the career opportunities, the academic opportunities, and the intellectual challenge.
Where are or were you happiest?
In the company of friends and family, sharing a good meal while having great conversations and laughing together.
What single unheralded change has made the most difference in your field in your lifetime?
The increasing use of IT in the clinical environment; when I was a medical student we still used paper records in general practice. Being able to search clinical notes, undertake meaningful audit, and conduct pragmatic research on our complex multimorbid patients is transforming the way we work. I’m excited by the changes in the pipeline.
Do you support doctor assisted suicide?
Yes, because I really do value control in my own life and would want that option for the people I care for. However, I respect the opposing views, as it’s a desperately personal issue.
What book should every doctor read?
There are so many inspiring and illuminating books, and I’m a big fan of Iona Heath, Ben Goldacre, and, recently, Margaret McCartney. But I recommend reading any book that allows someone to escape from the tension and stress of being a doctor, as we all need safe ways to unwind.
What poem, song, or passage of prose would you like mourners at your funeral to hear?
Nothing morbid: I’d want a celebration of life, not sadness at death, to be at the heart of it. Ideally, everyone would wear something colourful, and I’d want my Welsh and Christian cultures both reflected in the singing—so probably some rousing Welsh hymns (in the English translations), and I do love the poem The Loom of Time.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Champagne truffles, really good quality ones . . . but strictly rationed to just one a day, so that they last longer.
What television programmes do you like?
Apart from news programmes I’m a covert sci-fi/superhero fan, although I hardly ever see the programmes as scheduled. I record whole series or buy the set and then watch them when I have downtime. As I refuse to have Sky, I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the next series of Game of Thrones.
What is your most treasured possession?
I value people over things, although I do love my home and garden.
What, if anything, are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint?
I walk and take the stairs whenever I can, as well as using public transport when possible (and I’m now adept at working on trains). My colleagues laugh at my “walking shoes”/high heels transitions at the entrance to significant meetings, and I’m frequently seen in the Royal College of GPs’ headquarters running upstairs carrying my heels.
What personal ambition do you still have?
To make a positive difference in general practice.
Summarise your personality in three words
Energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated.
Where does alcohol fit into your life?
As a pleasant addition, but never during the day and not a drop if I need to drive.
What is your pet hate?
Drink driving. My husband was nearly killed 19 years ago by a drunk driver, and we still live with the consequences. I still have to make a big effort to be completely professional when dealing with patients who have been caught drink driving and ensure that my personal views are suppressed.
What would be on the menu for your last supper?
If it can be a last breakfast instead, I’d love to travel by hot air balloon across the Serengeti at dawn, watch the annual wildebeest migration, and then have a freshly cooked outdoor breakfast when we land.
Do you have any regrets about becoming a doctor?
None whatsoever. I love being a doctor despite the pressures of the NHS and the hard work. I think I found my niche.
If you weren’t in your present position what would you be doing instead?
I’d be working at the University of Birmingham in the medical school, doing all I could to promote general practice to the next generation of doctors and to ensure that our GP curriculum was constantly being modified to reflect the rapid changes in the NHS.