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Dr Mark Sanford-Wood’s bid this year to lead the profession fell short, but his work as a negotiator has won him many admirers and he is now the new second in command at the BMA’s GP committee.
Something of a poisoned chalice, he is responsible for overseeing the GPC’s response to rising GP indemnity fees. He has been forthright on this, warning that the Government’s ‘continued inaction will be catastrophic and will cause the collapse of services to patients’. With a rhetorical flourish, he said: ‘History will judge them harshly if they allow it to slip through their fingers.’
Dr Sanford-Wood also led on changes to firearms licensing arrangements, which had caused consternation among GPs. However, the guidance accompanying this blog was criticised for another u-turn from the BMA, after advising that ‘conscientious objectors’ could refuse to help applicants – having previously said this wasn’t the case.
Why influential
The GPC’s Brains to Dr Richard Vautrey’s Scott Tracy
What others say
’Towering intellect and has been the voice of the GPC for the past six months’
Related articles
Two new faces join GP negotiating team
We need to stand up to Government hyperbole
Two candidates confirmed in running for top GP negotiating post
Nine out of ten GPs want the NHS to take on the cost of their indemnity cover
