Prof Ian Gilmore
Hospital Dr invited Prof Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians to answer 12 questions and complete a half finished sentence…
1. What is the biggest challenge facing the profession?
“The biggest challenge facing the profession is to remain a profession - to be true to our professional roots, our altruism and societal values at a time when doctors are being put on work sensitive contracts, subjected to hours restrictions through the European Working Time Directive and facing increasing obstacles to continuity of care.”
2. When did you last laugh and why?
“The fact that I can’t remember when I last laughed means: A. I never laugh B. I laugh so frequently C. I have a memory disorder. The correct answer is B.”
3. What are the RCP’s priorities over the next year?
“The RCP’s priorities over the next year include promoting leadership by doctors in the improvement for quality of care and developing better models for continuity in the wake of the EWTD. We are also working to strengthen our regional structures and better support work at hospital and SHA level.”
4. Which person influenced you the most and why?
“It is always difficult to single out a defining influence from the myriad of influential teachers and mentors over a lifetime. When I was appointed a consultant, I learnt so much about how to build up, run and motivate a clinical team from my older colleague, Richard McConnell.”
5. What is your favourite book?
“My favourite book is Down and Out in London and Paris by George Orwell. When I read it again recently, I realised how poorly developed his writing style was at this early stage of his career but I loved the graphic, earthy experiences of student poverty.”
6. Has medicine become too protocol driven?
“In a world of ideal education, training, staffing and supervision, protocols would be superfluous. Under the current hospital pressures, particularly in unselected ‘medical take’ they are essential.”
7. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
“My guiltiest pleasure is not revealing one.”
8. What are the hallmarks of an excellent medical team?
“In an excellent team the sum is greater than the individual parts and the role of leadership is evident only by its apparent absence.”
9. What was your most embarrassing professional moment?
“My most embarrassing professional moment was failing to dislodge the screw top from a bottle of water when offering a glass to a royal visitor at the college.”
10. Of what achievement are you most proud?
“I am most proud of the fact that all of my three children work for one of the greatest modern achievements of a civilised society - the NHS - without any perceptible parental influence in their choice.”
11. When were you most in danger?
“While I currently feel most in danger during my present role, where I am only one media slip away from national ignominy, in reality I was probably much more in danger when I was performing invasive endoscopic procedures on a daily basis. So often I felt I was balancing the high risk of doing something versus the high risk of doing nothing!”
12. How will the royal colleges maintain their relevance?
“We will maintain our relevance as long as we retain strong support from our fellowship. Currently nearly all consultant physicians working in England and Wales are fellows of the college, in addition to many working in other parts of the UK and abroad. While we have their support, we are able to engage with a wide range of bodies, including government regulators and NGOs in the knowledge that we are speaking for frontline clinicians.”
Finish this sentence: trainees working a 48-hour week will…
…precipitate a radical rethink of what is meant by continuity of care and how it is achieved.