Bio

OK, so there are a few different strands here…

I’m an experienced general practitioner, a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCGP). I qualified as a GP in 2002 and as well as ‘normal’ GP I have experience of delivering healthcare in the prison setting, out of hours, and in remote locations. I was a medical officer in the British Army until 2004 serving in Germany, Bosnia, and Brunei.

I have extensive experience, as a clinician, in managing people who use substances. Whether it is injecting drugs, alcohol dependence or using the latest novel psychoactive substances I’ve plenty of thoughts on how to help deliver care based on having being involved in services for more years than I care to recall.

I am currently the Editor of the British Journal of General Practice and I handed over the editorship of BJGP Open in January 2020. I was the Editor-in-Chief of the Harm Reduction Journal before leaving to concentrate on the BJGP. I am enthusiastic about the importance of communicating science effectively and compassionately.

I am a senior academic GP at Lancaster Medical School. I’ve been involved with the Medical School since it all started back in 2006.

I’ve written extensively for academic and professional publications. I continue to write non-fiction and fiction across a whole range of topics and genres. Click through for more about my books The Healthy Writer and GP Wellbeing: Combatting Burnout in General Practice.

I maintain a page with my Declaration of interests.