Sam Everington: the proud generalist
BMJ 2016; 355 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6251 (Published 22 November 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;355:i6251- Gareth Iacobucci
- The BMJ
“It was a complete shock to me and a lot of other people too, dare I say it. I initially left the letter alone because I thought it was a tax demand.”
Sam Everington’s reaction to being awarded a knighthood in 2015 for his services to primary care reflects an unpretentious yet determined demeanour that has helped propel him through a highly successful career.
His pioneering work at the Bromley by Bow Health Centre in Tower Hamlets, east London, is a shining beacon of holistic care in one of the country’s most deprived communities. In the centre, general practice coexists with more than 100 different community projects, including art therapy, a café, and a park.
Over his 30 year career Everington has deftly juggled his day job as a GP with other roles that include advising Labour and Conservative ministers who have come to observe his work.
But he’s no establishment figure. As a junior doctor in the late 1980s he slept outside the Royal London Hospital to protest against long working hours, and in 1993 he exposed the racial discrimination faced by doctors applying for hospital posts.1
Still …
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