BMJ Masterclass for GPs: Neurology and Mental Health Speakers

Please see below for a listing of speakers for this course. More speaker photographs and biographies will follow shortly.

Dr Alistair Church (London and Manchester)
Alistair Church is a half time GP partner in a small semi-rural South Wales practice. The remainder of his time is divided between being an associate specialist in neurology at the Royal Gwent hospital (four sessions) and as a house husband (three sessions). Having completed a degree in psychology at Reading University, he saw the need to extend student life for a further 5 years at the Royal Free Hospital, London. 

Professor Leone Ridsdale (London)
Leone Ridsdale has worked for many years both as a GP and as a neurologist. She was foundation course organiser of an MSc in general practice at King's College, London and is now Director of Education for undergraduates in clinical neurology at King's College. Her research on headache, funded by the MRC, has shown that 97% of patients who consult for headache, are managed entirely by their GP. She found GPs refer 2% of headache consulters to neurologists, because of patient expectations and because of doctor uncertainty. Leone has trained six GPs with special interest in headache. She found that patients are more satisfied with the GPwSI Service than a general neurology consultation; the service is also less expensive. This finding was published in the British Journal of General Practice 2007–8. Her other clinical and research interests include developing and evaluating community services for people with epilepsy and chronic fatigue.

Dr Giles Elrington (Manchester)
Giles Elrington qualified at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1980 and has been consultant neurologist at Barts and the London NHS Trust since 1993. From 1993 to 2001 he was also consultant neurologist in Colchester. Since 2001 he has had a portfolio career. Regular NHS sessions include the headache clinic and clinical research at the London Hospital, general and botulinum toxin clinics at Southend General Hospital, contract work for North and Mid-Essex PCTs and a rehabilitation clinic in Stowmarket. He has a private practice in Colchester and London. Dr Elrington is a general neurologist with particular interest in headache, multiple sclerosis, rehabilitation and neuropsychiatry.

Dr Dave Tomson (London and Manchester)
Dave Tomson is a full time GP in North Tyneside with a career long interest in mental health and communication skills. At various times he did, or does, work on Trailblazer training in mental health, the National Institute for Mental Health in England primary care mental health, and new ways of working programmes. Dr Tomson has been a consultant for the Sainsbury Centre, led a multi-fund, and co-chaired a PCG. He has chaired the NICE APMH guideline, been a lecturer in two local universities and is a tutor and trainer of medical students and GPs, as well as an appraiser. He has co-authored a book, Ten minutes for the Family – systemic interventions in primary care.
Dr Tomson is a freelance consultant in mental health and patient centred primary care and teaches regularly on mental health promotion, self help approaches, primary care mental health and brief advice for risky drinkers.

Dr Martin Livingston (Manchester)
Martin Livingston is a general adult psychiatrist, serving a deprived urban catchment area in Glasgow’s riverside (Rab C Nesbitt territory). Comorbid addiction problems are rife and employment is scarce. In an earlier academic career he developed an interest in severe enduring mental illness and its impact on families. Dr Livingston is interested in the management of mental health problems in primary care and writes about drug treatment for this audience in medical journals. Other interests include the psychological impact of trauma and the mental health of people with severe physical health problems.

Dr Chris Ford (London)
Chris Ford has been a GP in northwest London for 26 years and has special interests in working with people with drug and/or alcohol problems, HIV and hepatitis and sexual health problems. She has published widely on these topics. She is one of the founders of Substance Misuse Management in General Practice (SMMGP) and is its clinical director. Dr Ford is a member of the executive committee of the RCGP certificate programme for substance misuse and its CPD lead. She is a director and former chair of the Alliance, a founder member of the UK Harm Reduction Alliance (UKHRA) and a board member of Release.

Dr Philip Timms (London)
Philip Timms is a consultant psychiatrist in south London and an honorary senior lecturer at King’s College, London. He helped to establish the first mental health team for homeless people in the UK and is interested in professionals’ communication with both patients and the public. Dr Timms has for 10 years edited the Royal College of Psychiatrists leaflets and fact sheets, which have attracted Plain English and BMA awards and consistently positive feedback for the web versions.

Dr Paul Morrish (London and Manchester)
Dr Morrish initially trained as a GP, passing MRCGP on the Milton Keynes GPVTS, before training as a neurologist, initially in the South West, and then London and Cardiff. He has carried out research into Parkinson’s disease and developed expertise in movement disorders. During a first consultant post in Brighton and now a post in Gloucestershire he has continued his interests in teaching and service delivery.

Dr Claudia Cooper (London)
Claudia Cooper attended Southampton University Medical School and completed MRCPsych in 2002, and a PhD on “coping and anxiety in carers of people with dementia” in 2007. She has worked in UCL department of mental health sciences since 2005, as a clinical research training fellow (2005–7), MRC research training (2007–9), and was appointed as a senior lecturer in old age psychiatry in 2009. Dr Cooper teaches on the undergraduate MB BS, and MSc in psychiatric research, and aging and mental health. She is a consultant in old age psychiatry in Camden and Islington Foundation Trust.

Dr Claire G Nicholl (Manchester)
Claire Nicholl developed her interest in memory disorders while she was senior lecturer in medicine for the elderly at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, working in one of the pioneering multidisciplinary memory clinics at the Hammersmith with Professor Brice Pitt, founder of the old age section in the Royal College of Psychiatry. She was also the GP tutor and organised the week long annual update for GPs. Since moving to Cambridge, Claire has continued to see outpatients with memory difficulties, and teaches and examines undergraduates and postgraduates.