Farewell to our Director of Education and Training
Thanks to Dr Andy Ward, our Director of Education and Training, who contributed so much to our outreach and professional development offer during his six years at Lakeside.
Dr Ward joined initially as a GP Partner at Corby, but soon became Education Lead, helping to make teaching and learning an integral part of our operation.
Thanks to Dr Andy Ward, our Director of Education and Training, who contributed so much to our outreach and professional development offer during his six years at Lakeside.
Dr Ward joined initially as a GP Partner at Corby, but soon became Education Lead, helping to make teaching and learning an integral part of our operation.
He co-ordinated the programme for medical students, which saw a sustained expansion in numbers, and was involved in the development of the Primary Care Skills Academy, providing courses, training and self-assessment tools for members of the Lakeside team.
He said: 'When I joined Lakeside we were able to expand the placement programme to take students from the University Cambridge so it grew a lot within a few years. At one time we had the highest number of medical students at a GP practice ever with figures that probably won't ever be beaten. The pandemic made things difficult in terms of what we could offer but now the numbers of medical students we accommodate are steadily increasing again.
'Over the last two years I have also been involved in the Primary Care Skills Academy, which offers professional skills training both within and beyond the organisation. It is a really exciting project and is now in a good position for further development and will hopefully go from strength to strength.
'We have produced a catalogue of courses and feedback has been really positive. A lot of the courses are online, or delivered as webinars so participants can work at their own speed and at a time to suit their working schedule. We have a comprehensive website and, once completed, participants can print out their own certificates, which shows that they have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge for their roles.'
Andy will increase his role at Leicester Medical School, where he is working on a project to increase teaching about empathy across the whole curriculum. Another strand of his work is to deliver healthcare to the homeless and asylum seekers, a service he also delivered while at Lakeside. He said: 'There is a really great team here and I will miss many of my colleagues that I have worked with over the years.'