Less medicine is usually best. New treatments are not always better. Patients need to retain responsibility for their own health.
Family doctor and acupuncture specialist
- General practice/family medicine
- Western Medical Acupuncture
I like the variety of general practice and the broad knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of modern medicine.
Acupuncture as a treatment for chronic pain and a wide range of other conditions where main stream medicine fails.
I did my medical training at University of Liverpool 1996 – 2001, MBChB hons and qualified as a GP in 2005.
I have gone onto being a full time GP principle for ten years at Chapelthorpe Medical Centre, Wakefield, then eight years as a freelance GP locum. Postgraduate qualifications RCGP (2008). Additional training Foundation course in Medical Acupuncture from the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS) in 2023.
Experience
When I was a partner I enjoyed training Foundation Year 2 (FY2) doctors and advance nurse practitioners. During that time I also held clinical responsibility for patients with complex care needs such as those with dementia, learning disabilities and for palliative care patients. I set up and ran a care home clinic.
I have been offering an acupuncture clinic for the past 18 months or so. I see patients at either their home or at the clinic. So far I have had some great successes in treating patients who have previously been failed by standard NHS healthcare. For instance in a chronic pain syndrome which was not properly diagnosed, in a case of sciatica that turned out to be piriformis syndrome and a case of generalised anxiety. I frequently employ electro-acupuncture to enhance the treatment effect.
Most recently I have been assisting my sister (who is a psychotherapist) with exposure therapy in a patient with crippling needle phobia, who needs to get tested for a potentially life limiting disease. The small acupuncture needles are a suitable gateway to larger hypodermic needles.
I believe that medical background adds much to my acupuncture service compared with most high street offerings. The feedback from patients is good and the whole experience from my stand point is rewarding.
Why did you choose to be a GP?
I like the variety and fast turn over of patients. The friendly atmosphere of general practice is also far more appealing to me than impersonal hospitals and there is less of a hierarchy. I also prefer more predictable working hours and conditions.
What makes a ‘good day’ at the office ‘for you’?
Seeing something NEW and preferably being able to manage it too. This doesn’t happen often.
What piece of advice do you most often give to your patients?
Never tell a doctor that you’ll do exactly what they tell them to do – a lot of doctors just follow protocols and don’t question the evidence. Patients need to be given the options and be allowed to make their own management decisions.
Professional memberships
BMAS