A London GP has been appointed as England’s national director of primary care, it has been announced.

Dr Nikki Kanani has been acting director for 13 months and was deputy medical director of NHS England.
The appointment was announced by NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens at the Health and Care Innovation Expo event in Manchester.

Dr Kanani graduated in medicine in 2004 from King’s College, London, and practises as a GP in Welling, London. She was previously chief clinical officer of Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group.

NHS England credits her with a key role in negotiation a five year contract with GPs, agreed earlier this year. Her younger sister Sheila Kanani is a well-known astronomer and the pair have set up an organisation, STEMMsisters, to provide support for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to study medicine, maths, engineering and science.

Dr Kanani said development primary care networks was a key part of her role. She said: “These networks represent another major advance for a new era of primary care, where general practice is sustainable, better able to connect with the community and pave the way for the future; with the very best of traditional GP services retained and enhanced with the latest available technology to improve patient care.”