BMJ Masterclass in Commissioning Speakers

Dr Nigel Watson
Dr Nigel Watson is a GP partner in a busy 10 doctor practice in the New Forest working two days a week. He is the practice lead for heart disease and diabetes mellitus.

He is also Chief Executive of Wessex Local Medical Committees (LMCs), which represents 3500 GPs working in 430 practices. The LMCs have a good reputation for leadership and working with primary care trusts and hospitals. They enjoy strong support from GPs and aim to look for solutions, not problems.

Dr Watson has been a representative on the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association for over 10 years. He has served on a number of subcommittees, including information technology, practice finance, contracts, and regulations. He is currently the Vice Chair of the commissioning and service development subcommittee, with a specific remit for practice based commissioning.

Mr Paul Thorpe
Mr Paul Thorpe is Consultant Spinal Surgeon at the Somerset Spinal Surgery Service. He was appointed in September 2004.

He was Deputy Chair of the Junior Doctors Committee of the British Medical Association from 2000-2 and Chair from 2002-3. He has been involved in starting a limited liability partnership – Blackdown Orthopaedics and Spinal Services (BOSS) – which is a partnership of anaesthetists and orthopaedic surgeons working directly with purchasers to provide orthopaedic services at tariff prices using NHS facilities that are not currently in use. BOSS has a key interest in collecting outcome data and providing a quality service

Mr Thorpe is married with four children and enjoys rugby, cricket, skiing, scuba, organisational psychology, and health systems.

Dr Tom Debenham
Dr Tom Debenham is a GP partner in a practice in Exmouth, Devon for three quarters of his time. He developed a portfolio career after completing a Diploma in Leadership at Exeter University. He was previously Chair of Devon Doctors and Medical Advisor to NHS Direct. He is now involved with the National Primary Care Development Team and is a trainer for the South West Quality Improvement Program for Primary Care.

He started practice based commissioning in April 2004 and now has results showing that this system can work. His likes include surfing the waves both of the NHS and the sea. He dislikes people who tell you why they cannot do something.

Dr Chris Streather
Dr Chris Streather is a Renal Physician at St George’s Hospital, London, where he has worked for 10 years. He was Clinical Director and Chair of the Division of Medicine before being appointed a Medical Director (one of three) in 2004. He has been involved in developing the hospital’s Clinical Service Strategy for the last four years, and has been Director of Strategy since May 2006.

Dr Streather was a National Kidney Research Fund Training Fellow at King’s College London from 1993-6 and has an interest in the progression of chronic kidney disease and particularly in cardiovascular risk in renal disease. He trained at the University of Oxford and St Thomas’s Hospital, London.

He is a father of three, runs the occasional marathon, and avidly supports Reading FC, which has been a trial for most of the last 44 years, but is a pleasure now.

Dr Charles Alessi
Dr Charles Alessi is a GP partner in a large group practice in Kingston upon Thames comprising 10 doctors over two sites. He is also Co-medical Director of the Kingston Cooperative Initiative, which is a not for profit cooperative set up by GPs in Kingston primary care trust to provide assistance and support in all aspects of practice based commissioning.

He has extensive experience of the NHS and was, until recently, seconded part time to NHS London. His past appointments include Chair of the Professional Executive Committee, Medical Director of a primary care trust, and Vice Chair of a health authority.

Professor Alan Maynard
Professor Alan Maynard is Professor of Health Economics at the University of York. He was Founding Director of the Centre for Health Economics in York (1983-95). He has honorary degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen and Northumbria, and is Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, Technology University of Sydney, Australia.

He has been involved in NHS management since 1983 and has been Chair of York NHS Hospitals Trust since 1997. He is a Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee for its investigation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.