The GP+ Careers Podcast

In this episode of the GP+ Careers podcast, host Sophie is joined by Dr Rammya Mathew, a GP in Northwest London and a borough medical director in Brent. Alongside these leadership roles, Rammya is a regular columnist for the BMJ and a GP appraiser. The episode explores her journey into medical journalism, from her early days being active on social media to being headhunted for one of the most prestigious journals in medicine. Rammya shares her tips on overcoming imposter syndrome, finding your voice, and the practicalities of balancing a varied portfolio career.
Top Tips

Just give it a go and practice - Rammya's primary advice is to simply start writing, as she believes medical journalism is an iterative process where skills naturally improve through practice. Instead of waiting for a formal role, you can build your skills by writing informally for blogs or smaller platforms. Over time, the process becomes easier as you learn to identify which daily observations are most valuable to share with others

Build a professional profile on social media - Being active and vocal on platforms like X can help you engage with senior leaders and other medical writers. A visible profile ensures that your work reaches an audience, as having the networks and the connections is often how you get noticed or even headhunted by major journals.

Be bold and authentic in your writing - To truly engage readers, you must put yourself out there and be "unapologetically you" and willing to share brave, honest opinions. People engage most when you avoid being "dry and boring" and instead bring your personal self and clinical experience into your pieces. To maintain professional standards, ensure your tone remains constructive and present both sides of an argument before clearly weighing in with your own perspective.

Study the work of others - Read established columnists to understand how they structure their arguments and manage tight constraints, such as a 450-word limit. This helps you learn how to make it flow better and include multiple points efficiently.

Keep a notebook for daily inspiration - Use your clinical practice as a primary source of material by continuously observing what you see around you. Keeping a dedicated notebook helps capture ideas immediately so you have a bank of topics when it is time to sit down for your scheduled writing days.

Seek out informal opportunities - Look out for 'taster weeks' at medical journals to see how they are put together and how editors decide which topics are currently topical. Alternatively, offer to summarize discussions from medical events or online forums to get your foot in the door.

Further reading

The British Medical Journal website: www.bmj.com 

Rammya's first accepted BMJ article on childhood obesity: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2016/08/25/rammya-mathew-it-is-time-for-doctors-to-put-their-public-health-hats-on/

British Journal of General Practice (BJGP): https://bjgp.org/

RCGP Mentoring: www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring

Dr Rammya Mathew has been involved in medical journalism since her time as a GP registrar. Since 2019, she has written a regular column for The BMJ, using this platform to highlight and advocate for issues close to her heart: supporting women in medicine, tackling systemic barriers and inequalities affecting communities, and championing the unique and invaluable role of the general practitioner. Her thought leadership is a central part of her contribution to medicine, complementing her roles as Borough Medical Director for Brent, practising GP and medical appraiser.

RCGP Podcast Feedback
Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

Join us this month as Sophie speaks with Dr Maisun Elftise, a GP and Consultant in Integrated and Community Care working in an urgent care setting in Coventry. She highlights the improved work-life balance she gained in a shift-based model that eliminates traditional administrative burdens like practice lists and blood result follow-ups. Maisun also discusses her passion for tackling health inequalities and provides practical advice for GPs looking to explore this career path.
 
Top Tips

Try the role before committing by doing locum shifts or shadowing at an urgent care centre to see if the fast-paced environment and variety of "walk-in" cases suit your style of practice.

Leverage your existing GP training as you do not necessarily need a specific diploma or advanced training to begin working in urgent care; however, you can build further confidence through resources like the RCGP One Day Essentials in Urgent Care or the Diploma in Urgent Care from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.

Focus on the work-life balance benefits, such as the "shift work" model that allows you to leave on time and the absence of a practice list, which means you have no accumulated admin like blood results or letters to follow up.

Utilize professional networks by joining the RCGP Urgent Care Special Interest Group (SIG) to find mentoring and support, and to connect with a community of GPs working in diverse settings, from urban centres focused on health inequalities to rural areas.

Appreciate the clinical safety net of working in a setting attached to a hospital, which can provide an added layer of security because specialist workforce and emergency equipment are readily available if a patient's condition becomes more high risk.

Protect your well-being by remembering that "No is a full sentence". It is important to ensure your roles fit your current stage of life and not to feel pressured to take on every interest or opportunity at once.
 
Further reading

RCGP Clinical Topic guide on Urgent and Unscheduled care: www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/gp-curriculum/urgent-unscheduled-care

RCGP Super Condensed Curriculum Guide on Urgent and Unscheduled Care: www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/789da9e7-14c4-4236-9cfe-e33b5f15e3d0/Urgent-unscheduled-care-SCCG-2025.pdf

RCGP Urgent Care online courses: elearning.rcgp.org.uk/local/rcgp_coursedisplay/index.php

RCGP Urgent Care Special Interest Group (SIG): www.rcgp.org.uk/about/communities-groups/urgent-care

RCGP Mentoring: www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring 

Diploma in Urgent Medical Care: services.rcsed.ac.uk/exams/exam-details-diploma-in-urgent-medical-care

Dr. Maisun Elftise is a GP and Consultant in Integrated and Community Care at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. She practices in an inner-city Urgent Care Centre, focusing on respiratory medicine and health equity. 

In addition to her clinical work, Dr Elftise is a Training Programme Director at Worcestershire GP Training Programme. She is an advocate for tackling health inequalities and is involved with the Primary Care Respiratory Society and Primary Care International.

Dr Elftise is also the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead for the Coventry and Warwickshire Training Hub, demonstrating her commitment to fostering an inclusive healthcare environment. She also serves as a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, promoting a culture where staff feel safe to raise concerns without fear of retaliation. She is also nationally elected RCGP council member 2024-2027.

 
RCGP Podcast Feedback
Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

In this episode of the GP+ Careers podcast, Sophie interviews Dr John Diamond, a GP based in Northern Ireland as he shares his journey of developing an extended role in dermatology to tackle Northern Ireland’s multi-year secondary care waiting lists. Drawing on his experience with the Cardiff diploma and the GPECs elective service, he provides practical advice on finding a clinical "spark," collaborating with colleagues, and starting small within your own practice.
Top Tips

Establish your foundation first - Spend your first four or five years in general practice settling into the business of partnership and getting to know your patient population before pursuing a specialised niche.

Invest in formal, high-quality qualifications - Pursue specialised education, such as the Cardiff diploma in practical dermatology, but be prepared for the time commitment; a rigorous academic diploma can require approximately 10 hours of study per week for a full year.

Observe secondary care clinics voluntarily - Before investing heavily, reach out to local consultants and ask to sit in on their clinics. As dermatology is highly visual, this firsthand exposure helps you determine if the discipline, which offers a "clean" break from complex social or mental health issues, truly suits you.

Collaborate to build services - Avoid working in isolation; instead, gather a group of like-minded colleagues. Pair with those who have complementary strengths, particularly those skilled at lobbying for funding and navigating administrative hurdles, as their persistence is often what gets a service off the ground.

Start small and focus on patient impact. You don't need a regional service to be effective; simply enhancing skills for your own practice list is invaluable. Addressing inflammatory conditions locally provides immediate relief to patients who might otherwise face secondary care waiting lists as long as six or seven years.

Further reading

RCGP Dermatology Toolkit: elearning.rcgp.org.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=12891

RCGP Clinical Topic Guide on Dermatology: www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/gp-curriculum/dermatology 

GP Elective Care Service (GPECS) - Northern Ireland: gpecs.easternfsu.com/about-gpecs/ 

RCGP Mentoring: www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring 

Postgraduate Diploma in Practical Dermatology (PgDip) at Cardiff University: www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/practical-dermatology-pgdip-part-time

An introduction to Dermoscopy (online) course at Cardiff University: www.cardiff.ac.uk/professional-development/available-training/short-courses/view/an-introduction-to-dermoscopy 

Dr John Diamond is a full-time GP partner at Garden Street Surgery and its branch practice, Bellaghy Medical Centre, in County Derry, Northern Ireland. He has worked in the practices for over 25 years and now serves the community in which he grew up, with many of his patients having known him since childhood.

Dr Diamond was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), an achievement of which he is very proud. He holds the Cardiff Diploma in Practical Dermatology and a Diploma in Dermoscopy.

He is the regional GP lead for an award-winning photo-triage project that has supported thousands of patients, and he helped establish the region’s primary care elective dermatology service, where he has worked since its inception.

Dr Diamond is deeply connected to the community where he has lived and worked all his life.

RCGP Podcast Feedback
Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

This episode of the GP+ Careers podcast features Dr Amina Al-Yassin, a First5 GP who has built a dynamic portfolio focused on child health. Dr Al-Yassin details her experience balancing clinical sessions with strategic leadership roles at Barnardo’s and as a Clinical Lead for local children’s services. Listeners will discover how to navigate spin fellowships, engage with community Child Health Hubs, and leverage their unique GP skills in specialist settings like CAMHS.
Top Tips

Leverage spin Fellowships for protected time - If you are early in your career, look into spin fellowships. These schemes are designed to improve GP retention by providing protected time (usually one or two sessions a week) to develop a special interest or an extended role. Dr Al-Yassin used this to work within a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), gaining frontline experience in neurodevelopmental assessments and medication management. This protected headspace is helpful when first developing a new area of expertise.

Prioritise practical experience over formal certificates - While additional qualifications like the Diploma in Child Health or the Diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health are available, they are not always prerequisites for extended roles. Dr Al-Yassin emphasizes that the skills you already possess as a GP i.e. being well-versed in both physical and mental health across all ages, are unique and highly valuable. Learning on the job, showing enthusiasm, and maintaining a holistic perspective often count for more than a certificate.

Engage with local Child Health hubs - Investigate whether your local area or Integrated Care Board (ICB) has established child health hubs. These are community-based clinics where paediatricians and GPs work together in the same room to provide specialist input for families. If you cannot work in one immediately, ask to sit in on clinics or participate in their virtual Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings, which often include health visitors, school nurses, and therapists.

Connect through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) - Networking is essential for discovering opportunities that may not be widely advertised. Joining RCGP Special Interest Groups, such as the Adolescent Health SIG, connects you with like-minded colleagues who share insights on vacancies, projects, and educational opportunities. Other helpful networks include groups focused on health inequalities or neurodiversity. 

Blend strategic leadership with Clinical Practice - A portfolio career allows you to balance "big picture" strategic work with direct patient care. Roles in organisations like Barnardo’s or as a Clinical Lead for a borough involve looking at population health needs and designing systemic solutions, such as asthma care pathways. Maintaining some clinical GP sessions is beneficial because it keeps you connected to the realities and hardships of patients, which in turn informs and improves your leadership decisions.

Establish firm professional boundaries - One of the challenges of a portfolio career is "overspill," where work from one role leaks into another or into your personal time. Strategic and leadership roles often require more time than the paid sessions suggest. To avoid burnout, it is important to be self-aware and block out time for downtime and family, ensuring that your varied interests do not encroach on your personal life.

Further reading

 RCGP Adolescent health Special Interest Group: www.rcgp.org.uk/about/communities-groups/adolescent-group

RCGP Mentoring: www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring 

RCGP One Day Essentials: www.rcgp.org.uk/learning-resources/courses-and-events/one-day-essentials

RCGP GPwER in child and adolescent mental health (CAMH): www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-extended-roles/child-adolescent-mental-health-introduction 

Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHS): www.mind.org.uk/for-young-people/camhs/understanding-camhs/

RCPCH Diploma in Child Health: www.rcpch.ac.uk/education-careers/examinations/about-diploma-child-health

Dr Amina Al-Yassin is a GP working in the NHS and with Barnardo’s, and the Clinical Lead for Children’s Services in the London Borough of Brent. She trained in paediatrics (MRCPCH) and general practice (MRCGP), with a post-CCT fellowship in child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) and is the RCGP Children and Young People’s Mental Health Representative and a member of the RCGP Special Interest Group on Adolescent Health.

As Strategic Clinical Lead, she supports improved outcomes across CAMHS, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), safeguarding, childhood obesity, oral health, and long-term conditions. With Barnardo’s, she develops family support models in primary care. She holds an MSc in Medical Education, is a WHO FIDES Health Influencer, and an accredited trainer.

RCGP Podcast Feedback
Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

In this episode of the GP+ Careers podcast, host Dr Sophie Lumley is joined by Dr Maria Mastrantonio, a Clinical Advisor to NHS England's regional team in the south west. Maria explains her specific role overseeing a team of GP reviewers who handle patient complaints made directly to NHS England about primary care services. The episode also covers Maria's career path to this leadership role, the flexible nature of the reviewing work for other GPs, and advice for those interested in similar portfolio careers and leadership positions within NHS England.
Top Tips

Just say yes to opportunities: Maria strongly recommends adopting the mindset to "just say yes" when an opportunity arises, even if you doubt your ability to do it. Saying yes allows you to build up a body of experience that will help you move into new roles. Her own role as Clinical Reviewer began with a chance email that was sent to GP appraisers, and she thought "why not" go for the opportunity.

Actively hunt for opportunities: Be aware of your emails and bulletins because job opportunities frequently appear in them. For formal NHS England roles, Maria advises checking NHS jobs. You can also use word of mouth to find people working for NHS England or the Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Gain practical experience in leadership and complaints: Acquire relevant experience under your belt first. For those interested in review roles, Maria suggests a great starting point is getting involved in complaints within your own practice to learn how medical defence organisations suggest responding. Additionally, seeking out any leadership roles (within or outside the practice) or becoming an appraiser can provide helpful supportive skills.

Leverage existing skills and education: Recognise that you bring all your prior experiences into new roles. For example, having an educational background can help frame clinical reviews around learning needs rather than just right or wrong answers. Even if a new venture (like a medical school role) doesn't work out, the failures become your best learning experiences and are great to discuss in an interview.

Network regionally and seek mentorship: Find out who the Clinical Advisors are in your region because processes and roles differ regionally and ask them for mentorship or for details on how they entered their positions. If finding clinicians proves difficult on websites, look for programme managers within the regional offices, as they are excellent contacts who can signpost you or provide clinician contact details.

Be flexible and try new things: Nothing in career diversification is "set in stone". If a new role isn't what you expected, you can step down and try something else. Start by trying roles like medical school teaching or offering a session at VTS (Vocational Training Scheme), as these can be stepping stones to leadership roles.

Further reading

·       RCGP Mentoring: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring 
·       NHS Jobs: https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate 
·       NICE guidelines: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance 
·       NHSE regional teams: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/regional-area-teams/ 
Maria Mastrantonio is a GP of over 20 years experience, practicing in Devon with a strong coaching and educational background. She has a MSc in Clinical Education. She has previously also been a Training Programme Director and Trainer. She is currently also GP appraiser and is Clinical Advisor for NHSE South West. In addition, she is an ILM 7 level qualified coach, a LMC Devon coach and a GP Fellowship mentor.

RCGP Podcast Feedback
Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.