The heroes of general practice met for a night of recognition for their amazing efforts in 2024. Here we present the GP and Team of the Year winners
General Practitioner of the Year (sponsored by Yakult)
Dr Mark Gaffney, senior partner, chairman, Victoria Medical Centre, and clinical director of Victoria PCN, Eastbourne.
Dr Mark Gaffney has a lot to be proud of in his 41-year medical career. He set up the out-of-hours service in his area, was the instigator of the local ‘hospice at home’ service; and managed a year-long diphtheria outbreak with NHS England and the home office in an asylum service he set up.
But the achievement that stands out to Dr Gaffney the most is the spinal injury and severe neuro-disability unit that he has worked at for 25 years.
‘The patients there are so different – they are all high-dependency, paralysed etc. But they have such a different outlook on life and that really has changed me over the years. I am very proud of that.’
More recently, Dr Gaffney planned and delivered the Victoria Medical Centre (VMC) by merging four practices, with one having given only three days notice of closure. The centre won ‘Best Primary Care Design’ and he was asked to cancel his retirement to oversee services there.
He said: ‘I wanted to build the VMC and leave it for the next generation. It didn’t quite work out and I had to come back and sort it out. But I am leaving on a high because it is doing brilliantly now – we have even been able to take on eight new doctors this year!
‘I was not expecting to win General Practitioner of the Year. It feels unbelievable.
‘I am retiring for good in three weeks, so winning this award marks the end of my career. I am so pleased, and it is the perfect time to go.’
General Practice Team of the Year
Liverpool Homeless Palliative Care Multidisciplinary Team, Brownlow Health & Marie Curie Liverpool, Merseyside
Brownlow Health Homeless Team and Marie Curie Hospice recognised the poor care and outcomes for patients experiencing homelessness at the end of their life in Liverpool.
They came together to form a Homeless Palliative Care MDT to provide collaborative and coordinated care across different settings, reducing hospital admissions and facilitating a dignified, comfortable and pain-free death.
Liverpool Homeless Palliative Care MDT are the first and only team to use syringe drivers and achieve planned deaths in the hostel setting and are dedicated to sharing their specialist knowledge with others.
Dr Ryan Young, a GP at Brownlow Health working in the MDT, said: ‘It was such a surprise to win tonight. This award recognises everybody’s hard work.
‘I am most proud of our team’s ability to give a choice to people at the end of life who don’t have choice throughout their life. They can die with dignity in a place of their choosing – without pain and suffering.
‘We are looking to expand our service to people who have a history with substances and also people who have been through the asylum system, or who don’t have English as their first language. We want to open up palliative care to anyone who struggles to access healthcare.’
To see a full list of the winners from the night, click here.
The General Practice Awards
The event, run by Pulse’s publisher Cogora, has been going for over 15 years. There were 19 winners on the night, with other awards such as Nursing Team of the Year and Pharmacist of the Year.
Head of event marketing at Cogora, Jess Cornish, commented: ‘The General Practice Awards are an opportunity to shine a light on the incredible teams and individuals who work tirelessly to ensure that their patients and the wider community have access to healthcare services that meet their needs and offer real support.
‘We were blown away once again by the entries received, with nominations for GPs, nurses, reception teams, pharmacists, digital innovators, social prescribers and counselling staff as well as industry suppliers.’
