Cheshire and Merseyside primary care recognised at regional awards ceremony

Primary care staff across Cheshire and Merseyside have been recognised for their outstanding dedication and significant contributions to the field of general practice at an awards ceremony earlier this month.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Mersey Faculty Awards 2025 were held in Liverpool on Friday 7 November, where individuals and teams from across the region were invited to celebrate their achievements, innovations and impact on patient care.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Dr Jonathan Griffiths and Dr Bryony Kendall won the GP Award for ‘When a Child Dies’ – an innovative framework which helps practitioners support bereaved families following the death of a child.

Dr Griffiths and Dr Kendall were previously recognised at the Daffodil Standards Awards the month prior in relation to this work, and were also recently featured in a powerful podcast exploring how GPs can support families through the devastating loss of a child.

The GP Registrar Award was shared by Dr Thomas Powell from Paxton Medical Group in Wirral, and Dr Louise Harrison from Cedars Medical Centre in Whiston.

Dr Powell was recognised for his support of peers navigating GP education in primary care and his voluntary work in this area, while Dr Harrison was nominated by her colleagues for her dedication and compassion towards colleagues and patients alike.

The Practice Team Award was jointly awarded to two GP practices in Southport – Norwood Surgery and St Mark’s Medical Centre.

Norwood Surgery were recognised for their work to combat type 2 diabetes through a low-carb diet for patients, which was shown to save the NHS over £68k every year on diabetes medications.

St Mark’s Medical Centre were recognised for their Street Seen project in partnership with the charity Light for Life, which aims to address the health and wellbeing needs of individuals engaged in street activities, such as rough sleeping, begging or substance use.

Susan Allen, Deputy Practice Manager at Calvary Health Centre in Liverpool, received the Team Member Award for her exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication when stepping up to fulfil the duties of a staff member on long-term sickness.

Dr Simon Tobin, from Norwood Surgery, received the Dr John Holden Annual Provost Award for services to the Faculty and primary care. Dr Tobin is the RCGP’s National Lead for Fellowship, and has worked to transform the fellowship application process, making it easier to access and free for RCGP members.

Also awarded on the night was the RCGP Mersey Faculty’s 2025 Medical Student Poster Prize, which invites eligible medical students from the region to submit a poster detailing an original research or quality improvement project they have undertaken on a primary care topic.

Five students from the University of Liverpool and another from Edge Hill University took home the available prizes on the night, for projects ranging from an audit of the use of fit notes in general practice to an analysis of fertility outcomes from the use of assisted reproductive technology.

The awards were presented by Professor Steve Cox FRCGP, RCGP Mersey Faculty Provost, and Dr Abhi Mantgani FRCGP, RCGP Mersey Faculty Chair.

Congratulations to all general practice staff and medical students on their well-deserved recognition.