By Dr Phil Cox, GPDF Chair
Thank you to all of you who attended our recent EGM. There were some really interesting discussions, we really do value hearing the voices of our members. We covered a great deal during this event, including a presentation on GPDF’s EDI work led by Dr Kalindi Tumurogoti (please do contribute to the work by filling out the form here) and a presentation on GPDF’s Investments, including a Tax overview from Saracins.
Results
During the EGM, our members overwhelmingly voted in favour of funding:
● The running costs for the current structure of the LMC Support Network (£57,470 for 2025-26, £54,847 for 2026-27 and £55,232 for 2027-28)
● The LMC Support Network’s development/contingency fund at a cost of £25,000 annually
● The continuation of GPCE/LMC liaison role at a cost of £37,500 annually
● The Rebuild GP campaign run by BB partners at an annual cost of £218,880 until review by GPDF’s Board in March 2027
You can read more about the Rebuild GP campaign’s bid here and view their EGM presentation here, with information on the LMC Support Network available here, including appendix 1, appendix 2, appendix 3 and appendix 4.
Deed of Grant
You will hopefully be aware of the BMA GP Committees funding and benefits statement provided at our AGM in September 2024 and the recent BMA correspondence regarding clarification around BMA GP Committee (GPC) funding. You can also find on our website a correction to the 3-3-25 newsletter to reflect recent changes introduced by the BMA regarding honorarium for BMA committee members. During the presentation by our accountants, Mitchell Charlesworth, we invited discussions on the best way to ensure that the Deed of Grant is providing value for money as the general consensus is that previous audits of a more traditional nature did not, and were not likely to, prove anything or add any particular value. Three options were laid out by Philip Griffiths; traditional audit, analytical approach, value/impact audit and at this stage all options are being considered. Feedback from our members is welcome to assist the Board in determining the best course of action.
Chair’s speech
In my Chair’s Speech, available to read in full here, I talked about the Levy, GPDF running costs, the crucial role which Attend plays, withdrawal of benefits from LMCs not in good standing and provided an update on the Deed of Grant.
I also shared the news that, after careful consideration, I will be stepping down from my position as Chair, effective 31st March 2025. GPDF update Post EGM 2025
This was not an easy decision, but ultimately, I’ve come to realise that I’m no longer able to make the sacrifices required to dedicate the necessary time and commitment to this role. As many of you know, my wife and I are expecting a baby at the end of May and, after a particularly challenging pregnancy journey, my priority now must be my family. As such I feel that I cannot give the Chair position the attention it deserves while also fulfilling my family responsibilities. I believe deeply in this organisation and its mission, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to GPDF as Director for Wales.
I have truly valued the opportunity to work alongside such a dedicated and talented Board and am grateful for the support and compassion the Board have shown me when discussing this decision. I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition and will work with the board to support my successor, Dr Roger Scott who was unanimously appointed to take over the mantle from 1st April 2025. I will, of course, remain available to assist in any way I can during the handover process.
Thank you
I want to thank you all for your support during my time as Chair and I look forward to my ongoing work on the Board of GPDF. I will hopefully see many of you at conferences post-May 2025, although I may be harder to spot as I wont be in my recognisable Chair’s t-shirt!
And finally…
Regarding a series of anonymous letters we have had sight of and that we reported on to members back in December, I can reiterate that we have supported the BMA who took the lead in the investigation of the letters, and liaised with the Metropolitan Police. We have undertaken our own investigation and passed on the results to the Metropolitan police, including signed confidentiality statements from members of our board and secretariat. As advised by the police, we will not be sharing more details.