Two local doctors have been awarded prestigious fellowships of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Dr Mike Coates, Clinical Director for the NHS Lanarkshire primary care out-of-hours service and Dr Kieran Dinwoodie, a local GP received the highest level of membership as a mark of achievement, excellence and recognition for their contribution to general practice and to medicine more broadly.
Dr Coates, said: “I have been a GP since 2004, obtaining my membership of the RCGP at that time. I developed special interests in the treatment of drug and alcohol dependency, custodial medicine, urgent and unscheduled care and caring for those with additional support needs.
“I am a trained educator and support, mentor and teach GPs in training along with nursing colleagues at various stages in their professional development along with other allied health professionals. It is a huge honour to be granted fellowship as it is peer recognition of the impact an individual has had as a primary care provider.”
Dr Dinwoodie, added: “I qualified as a GP in 2012 then did the diploma of tropical medicine and public health before spending a year volunteering at Bwindi Community Hospital in East Africa. Since coming home I’ve enjoyed maintaining the RCGP partnership and facilitating other GPs going out to volunteer.
“Working locally, I’ve developed interests in dermatology, geriatrics and pain management along with training GPs. It’s been a pleasure to take on the national chronic pain GP advisor role over the past three years. Despite all the pressures of working as a GP it was humbling to be nominated for fellowship.”
Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “I would like to congratulate Mike and Kieran for their significant achievements. We provide support for local GPs to apply for RCGP fellowship as a recognition of their hard work and the crucial part they play in delivering local healthcare.
“This is another example of the outstanding skill and commitment of our staff who continue to work extremely hard, in spite of the significant challenges, to provide safe and effective care for the people of Lanarkshire.”
