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Declaration of interests

I want to ensure my interests are completely clear. I’ve added more detail than one would usually find and I’ve also now provided an option to look at previous declarations.

Updated 28 August 2024

I’m noting down existing DOIs and, as time passes, it is inevitable there may be historical DOIs as well. I will always try to flag historical interests where I think they are relevant but having them all on the page quickly becomes unmanageable. It’s the fundamental problem with annual declarations — it’s easy to let an inconvenient venture, relationship or project drop off from a few years back in the hope that no one notices… And websites with doctors’ declarations are often updated too infrequently to be of significant value and details are often scant. I want this to be as transparent as possible.

Since February 2021, I have used the wonderful Wayback Machine to capture previous versions of this page and each time I make a change I’ll ensure that the Wayback Machine has a snapshot. You can browse previous versions of this page here:

Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.euanlawson.com/doi/

Lancaster University

I work as a clinical academic GP at Lancaster Medical School and I am paid, as is common for senior academic GPs (although it is not universal), on the NHS Consultant pay scale. I am contracted as external examiner for the Y5 course of the medical degree at Dundee University until August 2024 - but I take no additional payment for that. I was appointed in December 2021 to be one of a group of mentors to the primary care department at CMC Vellore, India as part of a project run by the International group at the RCGP. This is unpaid and there was no expectation of travel - it is has been conducted remotely.

Grants

Part of my time is funded through grants - at the time of writing, there are two projects that have bought out some of my time:

I am also a co-applicant on a further NIHR study bid - at the time of writing, we have just been notified that will be funded but it is not yet in the public domain.

SAPC - Heads of Department

In the past year, I have also taken on the role of chair of the SAPC Heads of Department. This involves representing academic primary care at various meetings, including national, and there is no remuneration for this.

Clinical work

I work as a self-employed locum for my clinical work. Some of these are in NHS general practices and the local OOH service (Cumbria Health). I have also been active with clinical work in substance misuse settings in the NW of England. (Ironically, this is now regarded as private work, at least by the medical indemnity organisations, as substance misuse services are now entirely subjected to damaging tendering and re-tendering processes that are commissioned by local councils. Sometimes those contracts are won by the NHS, other times by companies and social enterprises, effectively removing them from core NHS services. However, I digress… ) My self-employed pay, by the time annual leave, pension, and additional indemnity premiums are taken into consideration, is comparable or less than my University pay.

For many years, I wrote the Clinical Update for the Substance Misuse Management in General Practice (SMMGP network) but stopped around mid-2016. I re-started in 2020 with updates for them as the newly branded Addictions Professionals. I was paid for those — at the time of writing they have a standing advert with full details. I stopped writing those in 2022. I have, since 2021, done something very similar with my Substack° - all offered for free.

In the past, I was the editor of the Harm Reduction Journal.

I was on the Expert Reference Group for the Dame Carol Black Independent Review on Drugs. In March 2021, I joined a DrugScience working group on Safe Injection Facilities.

I have also been involved with the Faculty of Public Health Special Interest Group (FPH SIG) on Drugs. In 2023 I was given Honorary Membership of the Faculty of Public Health which means I can remain involved with the FPH SIG.

British Journal of General Practice (BJGP)

Since September 2020 I have been the Editor of the BJGP. Initially, this was as Acting Editor but I was appointed formally in May 2021. I was appointed as Deputy Editor in 2013 and I am paid as an external consultant by the BJGP in line with RCGP standard rates.

Political affiliations

I am not a member of any political party. I was a member of the Fabian Society but cancelled my membership in February 2023.

I’m on the Expert Working Group for the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform though that has been very quiet in the past few years with little to no current activities.

This is more nebulous but I do think political beliefs can be an important declaration of interest. Describing oneself as on the ‘left’ or ‘right’ is rather inadequate. The website Political Compass offers a simple tool for a slightly more nuanced approach. The image shows where I sit.

Book royalties

I receive royalties for two books: The Healthy Writer and GP Wellbeing: Combatting Burnout in General Practice. I’m a member of the Society of Authors.

Other areas

I am a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. I am no longer a member of the BMA but I am a member of Unite. I’m also a member of the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC), the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME), and the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA).

I am a director of a limited company, Greenmantle Medical Ltd. My editorial work and book income goes through the company.

That’s about it. I don’t have any other sources of income. I have never been paid by any drug companies or the pharmaceutical industry and they’ve not given me honoraria, or funding for conference fees and travel to exotic (or non-exotic for that matter) conference locations. I’ve not received other consultancy fees or similar from Pharma. I do, as part of my BJGP role and my work at the university, claim expenses for attending relevant conferences, meetings, and CPD.