Newly-crowned winner of the RCGP Scotland Outstanding GP award Dr Paul Deehan always wanted to be a GP ever since the passing of his grandmother while he was just a young boy.
Dr Deehan, a partner at Strathcalder Practice in East Kilbride, received the prestigious honour at the RCGP Scotland Awards at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh last week (Wednesday 18 September). The peer-nominated award recognises the incredible and often unrecognised work being done every day and outstanding achievement of quality patient care.
The news came out the blue as Dr Deehan wasn’t even aware that his colleague Dr Sharon Russell had nominated him. He said: “It came as a big surprise but I am honoured and humbled to receive this award. To be nominated by one of my peers is a huge accolade.
“I accept this award on behalf of all GPs, I’m just the lucky one to be chosen. I work with partners who do outstanding jobs and I think all GPs are outstanding. I work within a really good team and we all rely on each other. It’s not just about the individual.
“My inspiration to go into medicine came when I was eight or nine years old. I was living in Canada at the time and I clearly remember my father receiving a phone call with news that my grandmother had passed away. That experience of losing a family member and seeing my father’s grief as he was given the news made me feel determined that I wanted to do something to help people.
“So that was my initial inspiration to become a doctor and it was all I ever wanted to be from that point forward. It’s a privilege to be a GP and the best job in the world.”
Born in Glasgow, Dr Deehan emigrated to Canada when he was four years old. After gaining a BSc degree in Biology at McMaster University in Ontario in 1988, he then moved to Dublin and studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland from 1990 to 1995 before moving to East Kilbride after completing his house jobs and GP vocational training.
He qualified as a GP after his registrar year in 1999 and also obtained his MCRGP. He became a GP Partner with Dr Walker & Partners immediately after that and has been at Alison Lea Medical Centre ever since.
Dr Deehan said: “I wouldn’t be collecting this award if it wasn’t for my parents. There was a huge financial burden on them as I studied abroad and they had to pay foreign fees. Their continued support was my drive to become a GP. I wanted to make sure they were proud of me.”
Dr Deehan’s parents Thomas and Josie proudly watched on from the other side of the Atlantic in Southern Ontario – 10am local time – as their son collected his award, courtesy of a FaceTime link with their grandson Matthew who was at the ceremony with his dad.
“My family are my inspiration. My wife Clare has been really patient with my career and a great support. My kids (Matthew 21, Hannah 16 and Evie 13) have been great too but I’ve not managed to convince them to follow in my footsteps into medicine.
“I planned to go to America to do postgrad work when I qualified as a GP over twenty years ago but my wife Clare talked me into going to Scotland and I’ve been in East Kilbride ever since.”
Dr Deehan has recently taken on an additional role of locality GP lead in East Kilbride and Strathaven. He is passionate about encouraging the next generation of doctors to become GPs.
“This new role has opened up a lot of opportunities for me to play a leading role preserving and shaping the future of general practice in our area. There are huge workforce challenges ahead in terms of recruitment and retention but also tremendous opportunities and that’s what makes it interesting.
“I’ve brought students into the practice who are interested in becoming doctors and they have been surprised about the variety and how interesting general practice is. By experiencing it first hand, I hope that students can consider a career in general practice.”
Dr Linda Findlay, medical director for South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care partnership, added: “This is a fantastic achievement for Dr Deehan and the team at Strathcalder Practice. Everyone within NHS Lanarkshire should be proud of the work done by all our hardworking GPs and healthcare teams who are a credit to the people of Lanarkshire.”
Speaking at RCGP Scotland’s New Members’, Fellows’ and Awards Ceremony in Edinburgh, Dr Carey Lunan, Chair of RCGP Scotland said: “I am delighted to today present Dr Paul Deehan with RCGP Scotland’s Outstanding GP Award at our New Members’, Fellows’ and Awards Ceremony in Edinburgh. Dr Deehan is a very worthy recipient indeed.
“It is clear from the testimonies of those that nominated Dr Deehan that he goes above and beyond in all aspects of his role as a GP at Strathcalder Practice in East Kilbride, be that through providing exceptional care to his patients or through his innovative, pragmatic and solution-focused approach to the challenges that inevitably arise in daily practice.”
Picture caption: From left to right: Dr Carey Lunan, RCGP Scotland Chair; Dr Paul Deehan, Professor Mayur Lakhani, RCGP President; Dr Amy Knighton, RCGP Scotland Executive Officer (Membership).
