The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has appointed a new chair to succeed Professor Maureen Baker at the end of this year.
Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard has been named as the new chair-elect of the RCGP.
She will take the helm from November 2016 when Baker will step down.
Stokes-Lampard has served as honorary treasurer for the RCGP since November 2012 having previously been honorary treasurer for the Midland Faculty from 2005 to 2012.
She is currently a GP partner at the Cloisters Medical Practice in Lichfield, near Birmingham, and head of academic primary care teaching at the University of Birmingham.
Stokes-Lampard became a Fellow of the Royal College of GPs in 2010.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted to be elected as chair of a College that has meant so much to me throughout my career.”
Stokes-Lampard said she “will strive to continue the excellent work of Maureen Baker, and Clare Gerada before her, to be a voice for GPs across the country and ensure that our profession is strong for the future of the NHS and patient care.”
She said: “The work the College has been doing to secure the GP Forward View in England, and the on-going Put patients first: Back general practice campaign in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, calling for more resources for our profession has been incredibly significant in putting general practice back on the map, and it is an honour to have been entrusted with continuing this vital work.
She added: “I’d like to thank all Council Members who voted for me, and my fellow candidates for running such dignified and challenging campaigns and I look forward to working with each of them in some capacity in the future.”
The three other candidates in the election were Dr Tim Ballard, Dr Sunil Gupta and Professor Martin Marshall.
