Who are we?
The GP support team provides expert, confidential and bespoke advice and support to individual constituent sessional GPs, GP partners and practices in difficulty.
Please do contact The GP support team if you are unsure as to whether your request for assistance falls within the scope of our services as we can advise you and signpost you to other organisations that may be able to provide you with support and/or assistance if necessary.
What can we help you with?
The GP Support Team is able to offer tailored support in relation to the following matters:
Doctors as individual practitioners (regardless of employment status)
- Clinical and non-clinical complaints.
- Assistance with investigations undertaken under the Performers Lists Regulations, including those that are referred to the Professional Standards Group (PSG) and the Performers List Decision Panel (PLDP).
- Advice in relation to GP appraisal and revalidation.
- Raising concerns about patient safety/unsafe working environments.
- Advice re assorted matters that are encountered in day-to-day practice.
Practices
- CQC inspections and enforcement action
- Practice contractual, financial and practice performance issues.
- Partnership issues.
- Disputes between practices and commissioners.
- Premises issues.
What we expect of you
Our Helping us to help you, explains how we can best collaborate in order to achieve the best possible outcome in your case.
When are we unable to assist?
The team may not be able to provide substantive assistance in the following circumstances (that does not exclude the fact that the team may be able to provide general guidance, signpost you to appropriate sources of assistance and/or liaise with your instructed representative [with your consent] if it is appropriate to do so).
- The GP and/or practice is not a constituent of Londonwide LMCs.
- Matters relating to Employment Law (which includes but would not be limited to matters pertaining to the BMA model contract, pay negotiation, assistance in relation to disciplinary procedures etc)
- The provision of specific/specialist HR advice (which includes but would not be limited to raising or responding to grievances, matters relating to bullying, harassment, equality and diversity issues etc).
- General Medical Council (GMC) provisional enquiries, investigations and hearings before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) (Medical Defence Organisations [or the equivalent] provide support, assistance and representation in relation to GMC and MPTS procedures).
- Criminal investigations.
- Representation at Coroner’s inquests (Medical Defence Organisations [or the equivalent] provide support, assistance and representation in relation to Coroner’s inquests).
- If you have instructed a legal representative to act for you.
- Matters that require specialist legal or professional advice (for example – matters relating to premises leases, rent disputes etc).
- Representation at a PLDP oral hearing in circumstances when removal from the Performers List is being contemplated (it is expected that a Medical Defence Organisation would provide assistance or that the GP would privately instruct their own legal representative in such circumstances).
- Assistance with applications for restoration to the medical register and/or the performers list.
- Assistance with NHS England investigations that are being conducted by an NHS England team outside London.
- If there has been a breach of our Helping us to help you.
- Clinical negligence claims (further guidance as to who can assist you in relation to clinical negligence claims can be found here).
Meet the team
Vicky Ferlia, Director, GP Support – A Counselling Psychologist by training, Vicky was a primary care commissioner in London for 14 years before joining Londonwide LMCs in 2010 as the head of the GP Support team. She has a special interest in contracts, regulations, partnership and PCN dispute facilitation, and practice training and development.
Jan Swannell, Manager, GP Support – Jan has worked in health care since 2000, first as a marketing manager in a private hospital and then in general practice as a practice manager, where she gained a wide experience of primary care. For ten years she also worked with the London Deanery as part of their annual GP Assessment panel, helping to select the GPs of tomorrow. She joined Londonwide LMCs’ GP Support team in 2016 and has an interest in the CQC, supporting practices with CQC and contractual concerns.
Jacqui Perfect, Manager, GP Support – Jacqui started working as a practice manager in North London in 2003. She gained experience in HR, finance, data analysis, patient engagement, CQC, clinical research and practice mergers and was an active part of the local Federation. She left primary care in 2018 to join the GP Support Team and enjoys applying her experience to support practices across the whole of London.
Amy Elliott, Assistant Manager, GP Support – Amy joined the team in 2023. Prior to this she was a practice manager for a large practice in Hertfordshire. Amy is an accredited member of IGPM (Institute of General Practice Management) and has gained experience in all areas related to practice management, including HR, H&S, GDPR and CQC. In her previous role she was heavily involved in supporting trainee GPs and was her local LMC PM representative. She is also a trained Freedom to Speak Up Guardian with a specialist interest in improving patient safety as well as staff and patient experience.
Vanessa Douglas, Assistant Manager, GP Support – Vanessa joined the team in April 2024. She has worked in primary care for 18 years both as a nurse and in practice/operational management. She has an interest in supporting vulnerable practices, CQC and supporting PCN development
Yvonne Frank, GP Support Officer – Yvonne started working at Londonwide LMCs in 2013, having previously obtained experience in working at NHS Shared Business Services. She is frequently the first point of contact for GP Support, and her role also involves advising practices on queries they may have, facilitating our team with our clients in finding the best support from our organization for them. She also gets involved in contractual matters, partnership issues, 24-hour retirement cases, premises (as part of the premises group) and other areas. She has a special interest in regulations and policies, and very often is involved in the guidance given out to practices on changes in these.
Dr Elliott Singer, Medical Director, GP Support and LMC Secretary in the North East London Primary Care team – Dr Singer has been a member of the GP Support team for the past 10 years, he is a GP partner and trainer in East London and has a particular interest in supporting partnerships and partner development. He is experienced in providing support and representation to GPs undergoing investigation for performance concerns by NHSE.
Dr Kirsa Morganti, Medical Director, GP Support – Dr Morganti has many years’ experience of providing support and representation for doctors in difficulty with a wide range of medicolegal issues. Her background is 25 years in General Practice as a salaried GP then GP partner prior to her move into medical law in 2016 with a medical defence organisation before joining the GP Support team in 2021. She has a particular interest in performance management processes in relation to clinical performance and personal behaviour concerns being considered by NHS England and sits on the Professional Standards Group as a co-opted (non-voting) member .
Dr Sara Riley, Medical Director, GP Support and LMC secretary in the South East London Primary Care team – Sara is a former GP (partner and salaried) of 27 years. She was Pastoral Support lead for Devon LMC from 2015-2018 before returning to London and has continued to work as an NHSE appraiser since 2014. She has trained as a mediator and works with individuals in conflict. She also has experience in coaching and supporting doctors in all aspects of their professional lives.
Dr Richard Stacey, Medical Director, GP Support – Formerly a GP partner (and GP Trainer), Richard worked with the Medical Protection Society from 2003 to 2019 and joined the GP Support Team in 2019. He has a significant amount of experience in assisting GPs with a wide range of performance, conduct and health matters, and sits on the Professional Standards Group (formerly the Performance Advisory Group) a co-opted (non-voting) member.
How can you contact us?
You can contact the team as follows: