Mid-Career PCN Fellowship: Feedback from Fellows 2021-23

How have your career plans changed as a result of the Fellowship?

• It has made me realise that there are other opportunities out there than just coal-face GP… I don’t have to INCREASE clinical role but can seek other roles.
• Now I am able to have a portfolio career in an area I am really interested in. This has happened totally as a result of the fellowship.
• I am more comfortable with continuing into NHS leadership roles and advisory roles
• I have reflected on my current ‘happiness’ within my career and made changes to improve this.
• I feel more confident about finding and taking up portfolio career opportunities to complement my current GP role
• I would say it will definitely have an impact on my career
• I have broadened my knowledge and become more expert in a particular field. I am hoping this will enable me to move my career in different directions in the future
• I have a clearer understanding of what I want from my career albeit implementing this is still a work in progress
• Definitely, I’ve been offered a community lead GP job
• I feel more inspired, supported and able to propose different ideas and ways of doing things
• More focus on teaching and supporting AARS staff in the PCN
• Yes I now am to have a role within the PCN
• I plan to expand on the work I have been doing and try and extend it’s scope countywide, link it in with potential NUH projects and see how far it can go. Links I have made whilst undertaking the project has also given me contacts got projects outside of primary care which are exciting.
• I hope to continue this work with education and encouraging patients to improve their health through diet and lifestyle and put their type 2 diabetes into remission
• More interest in working with PCN

What has been the single most important thing that you have learned as a result of the Fellowship?

• An overall feel for how the wider community/management/ICB structure/council etc actually fit into working for health of the community together with some contacts for the future in my area.
• To be braver and more confident.
• How effectively the PCN can form collaborations and links if a senior GP is given the headspace and protected time to work on this.
• Learning and sharing with our fellowship Colleagues
• The importance of connections within a team (be it practice or PCN) and with the wider team (e.g. locality, social care, allied health care professionals etc).
• To believe in myself – at the start I had no experience in this sort of project work and now I am really proud of what I have achieved and feel better able to take up future opportunities
• NHS politics can be exhausting
• That there is something outside the clinical box which helped me to feel more resilient in the day to day clinical work
• Confidence and to start to put my imposter syndrome tendencies aside
• I am not alone in my struggles and people do care and want to help. This allows one thing – that change can happen for the better
• Perseverance and staying focussed to the task. It was a very good networking opportunity with fellow colleagues who are more or less in the same position in terms of career and life. I hope to build on the fellowship and I’d certainly recommend to others.
• Learning new skills
• To have an open mind, it’s good to delegate but if you want something doing in a particular way, take control and do it yourself!
• Take time to talk and understand individuals rather than focus on the role label.
• Presentation skills
• To say” No” more often to avoid being overwhelmed & delegate more.
• Even in the depressing world of general practice, if I put my mind to it I can force projects of value into existence and bring quality, proactive care to my patients
• That we can make a huge difference to patients’ health through education
• It’s helped me have a fulfilling work life balance and that I can do the things I want and juggle childcare
• The complexity of the NHS
• Given time to stop, think, reflect, discuss with others and plan great things can be achieved by well motivated effective teams to make a difference in patient care
• Working closely with Colleagues.
• It has enabled me to really focus on what I would like to gain out of the next 20 years of my career.