The annual award recognises exceptional GP tutors and Teaching Practice teams, with nominations made by Year 4 and Year 5 medical students after their clinical placements. The quality of nominations was incredibly high, with the adjudication panel (RCGPNI Chair, Dr Ursula Mason and QUB’s former Associate Director for General Practice and Primary Care, Professor Nigel Hart) noting that, “every single nomination read filled us with a real sense that not only are students having some excellent experiences in their placements, and being shaped into a future generation of doctors that will excel across all aspects of medicine, but that GPs and their teams are truly committed to creating a learning environment for our students that is second to none.”

 

The panel were “struck with the sense of transformative experiences the students conveyed as well as the support across the whole team to embed these students in the fabric of our day-to-day work, creating an immersive experience. Many of our students described inspirational placements and GPs and teams that allowed them to grow develop and flourish.”

 

Three further nominations received the ‘highly commended’ accolade:

Dr Chris Murray, Killynether Medical Practice, Newtownards

Dr Katie Harper, Bloomfield Surgery, Bangor

Dr Michael Ruddell, Dr Ruddell and Partners, Lisburn.

 

Professor Helen Reid, current Associate Director for General Practice and Primary Care at QUB’s Centre for Medical Education, highlighted the significance of the award. “Our Year 4 and Year 5 students take time and effort to nominate GP tutors based on their placement experiences. The dedication of GP tutors like Dr Alexander ensures that our students become not only highly competent but also compassionate doctors, ready to step up to challenge.”

 

The 2024-2025 Award presentation to Dr Alexander and the team at Corran Surgery will take place in due course – pictures will follow!