This is my last Chair as Postman of Council, and I write it with great joy. The last three years have been the most wonderful time; it’s been a great privilege to travel the length and breadth of the UK telling the great unwashed how to live their lives. But the real privilege has been being able to meet and suck up to politicians, journos and other movers and shakers across the country in my bid to become England’s next Chief Medical Officer. It’s been wonderful to see the great way these people lap up everything I have to say. In this, I do of course take my lead from my hero, Sir Liam Donaldson, England’s last CMO. If I can aspire to be even half as wonderful as Sir Liam, then I shall be well pleased.
The feedback I’ve had from ministers and MPs about my bid to become CMO has been excellent. I have, of course, had to answer some criticisms from fellow GPs, which usually arrive in the form of a brown trout in a box, and occasionally I have been confronted in public meetings or in the media. I hope that I have been able to put forward my vision of me as CMO in a constructive way, promoting high-quality coercive healthism, but also acknowledging that as CMO I will be in the lap of ministers, so don’t blame me if I say something you don’t like. I have tried to be clear about my ambitions; we all want to do the best for ourselves and, given the appropriate resources and support I am sure I will continue to go from strength to strength.
I’ve had a fantastic time promoting GP commissioning from within the College. I’ll miss the opportunity to speak with the authority of the College, but once I am installed as CMO, I shall speak with even greater authority. Only last month, I had a wonderful opportunity to promote my disruption master plan to more than 550 movers and shakers. I heard on the grapevine that even the Secretary of State was impressed!
Of course, as the next CMO, I will be expected to promote the government’s line on public health. I’ve already got into the habit of pontificating on such matters. I’m particularly proud of my skilful piggy-backing onto Sir Liam’s swine ’flu scare bandwagon. It certainly caught the Secretary of State’s eye – and even gave me a wonderful opportunity to slag off lazy complacent GPs on the BBC news!
The future is bright: I am definitely at the centre of Nu-General Practice, and Nu-General Practice will soon be at the centre of the NHS. As you will have picked up from my emails, and from meeting me, I am an eternal egotist. Much of the time, I imagine I am already CMO. I have already been made CBE – so it can only be a matter of time before I am also made CMO!
So with these optimistic words, I wish you the best of luck for the future, I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart for your support over the last three years which has helped me personally and professionally in promoting myself as the next CMO. I will continue to support the government, to support the Secretary of State, and promote the key role of myself as the new the CMO.
Of course, you haven’t seen the last of me, and I’m going to continue to blog here once I’ve become CMO.
With very best wishes, now and for the future,
Your next CMO