Medical Chambers Newsletter: October 2024

Secondly YES October sessions available are low! Sarah, Carole and NB Medical are doing an amazing job to raise the profile of Medical Chambers with practices and of course you our members also promote our high standards wherever you do locum sessions (hopefully now wearing your fancy new lanyards!)  Bids are being placed immediately but we are in competition for a limited number of places especially in the October period and listing your availability does matter. Half term at the end of October is likely to see a rise in sessions advertised on ImpaxHub. The impact of limited funds in general practice persists as outlined by Amy Small at the conference. 

We have had a few members leave Chambers in the last six months mainly due to retirement and as a consequence we have a few sessions not being filled in the East Ridings area than other areas. To avoid disappointing practices with no availability of members to take sessions during the winter period we will take the steps to selectively recruit from our waiting list in those areas. Our recruitment freeze remains in place until sessions become more available in other areas, but we will be undertaking the process of updating our lengthy waiting lists of prospective members with the hope of one day lifting this freeze when the request for locums becomes plentiful again 🙂

Finally, we have a few great sessions for you to book via Eventbrite for the end of 2024:

• 24th October: Epilepsy (Jo Geldard, epilepsy nurse)
• 28th November: Communication Skills (Hannah Coysh)
• 19th December: Xmas Social (£20 funded by NB Medical for food) 

Thanks, Kirsty

Administration

If you are not a member of our WhatsApp group, please reach out and we will welcome you. We have two groups split East and West across the patch. These are active groups and offer instant clinical support as well as updates and chat.  Members can choose either or both group membership and Carolyn and Kirsty cross cover both groups.

Out of office hours: Carole and Sarah can be reached via ImpaxHub using the Emergency contact function (this sends an out of hours email to admin@medical-chambers.com). 

During office hours 8am-5pm Mon to Fri: Telephone - 01904 297 995 and via a works MESSAGING ONLY service on WhatsApp number- 07842 114473
Login to NB Medical and create an NB Medical Account, to access the amazing FREE content use access code: xxxxx

If a Chambers member is an NB Medical customer, you get 15% discount on your 14 Fish Appraisal Toolkit and if a member is a 14 Fish customer you can get NB PLUS for £295. Any new member to Chambers will be sent the Fourteen Fish community invite. (Reach out if you need the invite again)
Since the NB Medical partnership in 2020, any new Chambers member when joining can get NB Plus subscription free for a year. T&Cs: Once you work 60hours through Chambers you will receive the NB Plus subscription free of charge as part of the new member offer. Its free for 1 year only but your renewal price would be £295.00. 

Normally £345.00 annually/£29.95 per month.

Recommend a Practice to us! All you have to do is recommend The Medical Chambers to a Practice and when your recommended Practice registers, books, and pays for a single session, we will swiftly transfer £150 directly into your bank account. Contact admin@medical-chambers.com with the following:
Contact name, telephone number and email address of the recommended practice and we will ensure a smooth transition onto our system.

Alumni Members

You may see some of our members referred to as an Alumni member. What makes an Alumni? It's a Chambers member who for whatever reason is stepping back from the day-to-day locum world but we or the member wish to remain part of the Chambers network. Our Alumni's often offer support, knowledge and wisdom to the current Chambers cohort (via WhatsApp or at the monthly meetings.) Or they themselves are a good contact to have in Chambers, that we may find useful. An alumni who no longer wishes to locum will have their ImpaxHub profile archived so they don’t receive the day to day ‘Find work’ emails. Alumni’s are still invited to the monthly meetings and social gatherings.

Member Spotlight July 2024 – Dr Shona Brew, West Chambers

Tell us a little about you!

My name is Shona Brew. I grew up in Edinburgh then went to St Andrews University followed by Manchester for my clinical training. I met my husband at university, and we married soon after we completed our house jobs. We have two sons. I completed my GP training in 2000 on the Stockport VTS. After a four-year break while my two boys were little, we moved to Yorkshire where I joined a GP practice in Wakefield as a Returner then a Retainer and finally salaried GP until I left and joined Yorkshire Medical Chambers in 2013.
Being a member of Chambers has been the best decision I made. I can do the job I enjoy with the flexibility and variety being a locum brings. As part of Chambers, we have a fantastic admin team who organise everything for us allowing us to focus on our patients. We have brilliant clinical leads and directors who are very supportive and encouraging and always there to help if needed. Our regular peer group meetings and socials along with a very active WhatsApp chat are invaluable.

What was your first job: 

My first job as a doctor was as a surgical house officer at Withington Hospital in Manchester.

Why did you choose the field you are in:

I grew up wanting to be a GP like my Dad. I loved the history and tradition of medicine and wanted to work in a doctor’s surgery looking after people of all ages and from all walks of life.

An achievement you are most proud of: Bringing up two wonderful sons.

What does retirement look like:

Bliss!! I am looking forward to travelling to all the places we’ve always wanted to go.

What is your go to morning beverage:

Americano!

What does a perfect day off look like to you: 

A walk in the park with my husband stopping for a cup of coffee at the cafe along the way.

Book or movie recently read or seen and would recommend and why:

I’ve recently read The Women by Kristin Hannah. A novel set during the Vietnam war. The main character was a nurse on the front line. it was a fabulous book.

Oldest item in your closet: My old school uniform from primary school is in the bottom of my wardrobe!

Member Spotlight August 2024 – Dr Zoe Norris, East Chambers

Tell us a little about you!

I'm Zoe, a 43yr old portfolio GP working in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I'm a Mum to two girls, married to my teacher husband, and have a small menagerie of 2 dogs, 2 rabbits and a hamster at home.

What was your first job: 

I worked on the fish counter at Sainsbury's! The wellies and hair net were a strong look for a 17-year-old...

Why did you choose the field you are in:

I wanted to be in charge of my own learning and have autonomy in my clinical work. I was looking for a career where I could work to live, not live to work.

An achievement you are most proud of:

I'm proud of my kids every day, seeing them change and manage all the challenges of being a young person with a smile and kindness makes me unbelievably proud.

What does retirement look like:

Lots of visiting the kids wherever they are living! Dog walking, voluntary work, coffee and cake and holidays!

What is your go to morning beverage:

An oat milk flat white

What does a perfect day off look like to you: 

Not waking up tired, a sunny spring day with a lazy morning, nice walk then lunch out with people I love. A dog walk then a trip to the cinema to round it off!

Book or movie recently read or seen and would recommend and why:

I'll bend the rules and go for a TV series - I recently discovered Scandal on Disney+ which is from the same director as Grey's anatomy and Bridgerton. Absolute escapism set around the White House and a professional "fixer" - one to watch with a glass of wine and not with the kids!

Oldest item in your closet:

My wedding dress!

A superpower you would like to have and why:

The ability to fly - I used to have flying dreams as a kid, and it was the most fun ever!

Member Spotlight September 2024 – Dr Barney Tinsley, West Chambers

Tell us a little about you!

I’m a GP who loves the job still, a committed husband and Dad to 3 great kids. I love Liverpool FC, cooking, golf, a nice drop of red wine and getting out in the fresh air. Have a house full of animals - 4 cats, 3 Guinea pigs, and we stable two horses locally.

What was your first job: 

I parked cars for famous golfers at a competition in 1989, aged 14!

Why did you choose the field you are in:

Always wanted to be a GP. This makes sense when you see how bad my suturing skills are.

An achievement you are most proud of:

Running the London marathon and raising nearly £15,000 for Alzheimer’s Revolution,

What does retirement look like:

A long, long way away. Still.

What is your go to morning beverage:

Coffee x2.

What does a perfect day off look like to you: 

Bacon butty, golf while kids at school, family dinner, glass or two of wine watching LFC in Europe with my LFC-mad son.

Book or movie recently read or seen and would recommend and why:

The Holdovers. Darkly hilarious and very moving. Paul Giamatti was unlucky not to win the Best Actor Oscar but delighted for Da’Vine Joy Randolph who was Best Supporting Actress.

Oldest item in your closet:

LFC shirts going back to early 1980s. I have over 50 vintage shirts!

A superpower you would like to have and why:

Being able to see up to one hour into the future. Why? I’m not telling.

Upcoming meetings & Social gatherings

These occur monthly at 7pm on the last Thursday of each month (we try and avoid school holidays) and are bookable by Eventbrite. We have a lot of experience in our members and welcome events from them as well as our alumni members.

All meetings are listed in our Eventbrite, see our upcoming meetings and register your interest to not miss out.

Useful Updates

We will continue to circulate slides and relevant links following chambers monthly meetings.

The following are regular update general newsletters you can subscribe to:

• https://www.westyorkshire.icb.nhs.uk/
• https://www.leedslmc.org/
• https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/

Au Revoir’s, Goodbye’s, congratulations and Thank you’s

Congratulations Dr Andy Noble who in July received his MSc in Dementia from Hull University:

Goodbyes since June 2024:

• Saad Djoukhadar, East member
• Mark Roman, East member
• Helen Flavell, East member

Refer a Practice to Chambers: A big thanks to the 5 members who have referred practices to us, a couple of them now use us regularly!

A few conference photos

Group photo

Kirsty opening the conference with a few words

Amy Small, with an update from the BMA

BLS

Tony Lee, BLS Instructor

Fiona Scott talking about teen periods

The best donuts!

Paul Gordon, Atomos

Cate Rosenthall, Yoga instructor

Conference Feedback 

1. What did you like most about the ‘Navigating Change’ conference? 

Meeting people face to face. the donuts! Getting a feel for how current locum life is. Access to F2F BLS and calibration, Dr Smalls presentation from BMA. All talks were excellent & well prepared. Meeting Sarah & Carole in person! X 2 Catching up on old times. Paul Gordon – fantastic Pension advice. Very organised, useful information, useful pensions knowledge Brilliant, really enjoyed seeing everyone. Very informative 

2.What did you like least about today? 

Not having Biscoff donut! All good! No salt & vinegar for the chips. BMA session. Nothing! No alternative to BLS even though I’m up to date. There wasn’t anything. The rain! 

3.Overall, how relevant were the topics discussed at this meeting? 

Very relevant - 12 

Somewhat relevant - 7 

Neither relevant nor irrelevant - 0

Somewhat irrelevant - 0

Very irrelevant - 0 

4.Do you think the duration of the conference was too short, too long, or just right? 

Too short - 2 

Too long - 0

Just right - 17

5.How organised was the conference? 

Extremely organized - 12 

Very organized - 7 

Somewhat organized 

Not very organized 

Not at all organized 

6.Overall, did the conference meet, exceed, or fall short of your expectations? 

Exceeded expectations - 10 

Met expectations - 9 

Fell short of expectations 

7.Anything else you would like to share with us? 

Thank you for all the support, I really appreciate it all. Full day with more clinical speakers please (ideally GP with SI), donuts great, lunch not so at this venue. Can there be more statutory stuff next time e.g. safeguarding Thanks, to Zoe Norris for representing us in London today. Thank you. Try to have better food! It was a fantastic event to socialise and meet likeminded group of people 

8.Any topics you would like us to cover in future monthly meetings? 

Navigating NHS, private interface re ADHD/autism, gender clinics. Please get the accountant again, to discuss pension/finance related issues – very useful. Pain/pain management. New management of diabetes. Autism, fatty liver 

9. Any other comments: 

It was a great afternoon, thank you very much for organising it! Very good indeed, well done, thanks Fab afternoon, thanks! Well done to the team for organising a great event in a convenient & nice location Would be great to do this every year with the BLS training, thank yo