It’s all too easy to take what we do every day for granted; we’re so bogged down in the politics, the contracts, and the day-to-day business of running a practice. However, I’m not one to take things for granted, and I often like to reflect on how I got to be sitting in my office in Manchester in, what I can only describe as, my dream job. Yes, it has its challenges – but find me a job that doesn’t! Why do I do it? And why do I love it? Read on…

I was doing my A levels in the North West in the early 90s; you can appreciate that the Manchester music scene was a big draw, and much of my time was spent dancing and trying to find out where the next “rave” would take place – in fact, not a lot of time was spent on studying for my A levels!  So, when the results came through and I hadn’t done very well, it didn’t surprise me too much; I just wanted a job so I could continue to spend money on my social life! I had a couple of jobs before my first one in general practice at the age of 20 – at this point, still being quite selfish, I was just in it for the money at the end of the month.

My first day as a receptionist felt good; I’d worked in pubs previously and, back then, being a receptionist was quite a sociable job, and I thrived on the patient interactions. My first time operating the phones was quite dramatic. I’d listened to other people dealing with a variety of calls, but the first one I took, one Monday morning, was actually from a friend’s mum. My friend had been involved in a car accident the night before and had sadly died. Remember that selfish 20-year-old? She disappeared that day. All of you reading this will have had that one moment in your career that made you stop in your tracks. I didn’t know until that point that this would be my career, but it immediately changed my outlook on life. I wasn’t the centre of the world anymore; there was more to life than me.

From that point on, I was like a stick of Blackpool rock: break me in two and it would read ‘NHS’!

My first practice manager was an old school bully, and I used to think “I can do that”, and I can do it better – I can make something of it. That niggle stayed in my mind for another 20 years. Having spent time at the FHSA, Health Authority, PPG, PCT, NHS England and the NHS BSA, I was made redundant and finally given space to think about what I really wanted to do. I reflected on those moments in my life that had had a real impact on me, and they all pointed to general practice, so I searched and was fortunate to find a job locally – the perfect site, perfect place, great community. I was set.

It wasn’t the kind of general practice that I remembered from 20 years ago; it was busier than I ever imagined it could be, the staff were treated terribly by the patients, the team were exhausted, there were problems with recruitment and retention, but I could see that there were possibilities. The thing that inspired me the most about a role in general practice was community – dealing first-hand with people and, of course, being able to make a difference. I know these are the real drivers for all of us – not the money, the stress, the constant battles or the kudos (what kudos?!).

We’re so fortunate that we’re in the thick of it. We see the best and worst of people; we see the joy and the pain. I remember a very experienced receptionist saying to me, when describing an elderly gentleman who had cancer, “Kay, it upsets me so much because every time he comes in, I’m watching him shrink.” The same receptionist would be cooing over a new baby that came in for its eight-week check. We experience the most joyful and the saddest of days, but it’s always a privilege to be here, in general practice, making a difference.