Seizing the opportunity

November 2021 saw some new appointments in the RCGP Officer team. Amongst them was Dr Margaret Ikpoh, new Vice-Chair for Professional Development. GP Frontline caught up with her to see how the job is going so far.

Margaret Ikpoh at the exam centre in 30 Euston Square

Amy Boreham

Margaret Ikpoh was a recently-elected National Council Member when she responded to the advertised role of Vice- Chair. Initially, the thought of applying evoked feelings of ‘imposter-syndrome’, but she realised she was more than qualified for the role and put herself forward. “I have always been passionate about encouraging others to take up opportunities when they present themselves, and I really felt I had to practise what I was preaching,” she said.

Her role covers three key areas: oversight of the College’s CPD offering; the MRCGP assessment, including development of a new exam module; and planning the RCGP's Annual Conference, which this year is in collaboration with WONCA Europe. Margaret says that so far, she's really enjoyed working on CPD, something she attributes to her former role as education lead for the RCGP White Rose Faculties, which she says was the 'ignition to the fuse' to be further involved with the College and develop CPD for GPs across the country.

Developing the new exam module, drawing on the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) and the Recorded Consultation Assessment (RCA), is going to be one of Margaret’s major challenges.

The RCA was introduced as a temporary substitute for the CSA at the start of the pandemic so that trainees could achieve CCT on schedule and safely. Margaret, who is also a GP trainer, says these changes were ‘vital’ in allowing around 6,000 AiTs to sit the exams they’d be working towards, and which are the requirement for entering the workforce as independent practitioners.

But she acknowledges that trainees face some challenging factors including consulting in areas of high social deprivation which may impact on how some trainees could prepare for the RCA. “This is why the exams team are continuing to engage our GP educator and trainee community to deliver a new exam module, taking in aspects of both the RCA and CSA, that is reflective of the communities of practice that we serve,” she said.

“Acknowledging and recognising the fact that trainees consult with patients from diverse populations will help to shape the future of the exam and how it will need to reflect modern day practice.”

Margaret hopes this new assessment module will be ready at some point next year. “I want to make sure all aspects of the RCGP exams reflect current general practice, including supporting GP trainees to consult confidently as independent practitioners in a post-pandemic era, whilst also maintaining and upholding professional standards,” she said.

Addressing long-standing concerns about differential attainment in the MRCGP assessment – which is common to many other professional examinations – Margaret says she is committed to continuing the College’s work in this area. She’s keen to support the College's commitment to equality of opportunity and promoting diversity in the assessments of the MRCGP. These include a myriad of initiatives, such as the working group that was established to look at decolonising the curriculum, exploring action points identified by the former BAME education and training task group focused on support for international medical graduates and continuing to provide support for those trainees who require reasonable adjustments to complete their assessments.

“Acknowledging and recognising the fact that trainees consult with patients from diverse populations will help to shape the future of the exam and how it will need to reflect modern day practice,” she said.

She also made clear that the key to “tackling the issue and eradicating differential attainment is a collective effort that needs to be addressed from medical school through to post-graduate training. Engagement with trainers, trainees, patients, researchers and key stakeholders such as Health Education England and its equivalents across the UK, and the GMC is so important to addressing it.”

Another area of work for Margaret will be looking into the possibility of a Primary Care doctor role in general practice, as proposed for further discussion in a recent RCGP Council paper. “I want to explore how general practice could potentially embody this type of doctor. The general practice team is already made up of a host of healthcare professionals including nurse practitioners and physiotherapists. It’s important that we explore how such a role could support our current workforce, particularly given the current extreme staff shortages being faced by the profession.”

Margaret is certainly set to have a busy tenure. She reflects upon the support and dedication of her team who have helped her settle into the role, so far, and will ‘give [her] the tools and platform to make impactful and positive change on the careers of College members, from GP trainees to experienced GPs who’ve been practising for years.’ •