General Practice
London Specialty School of General Practice
Our mission is to improve the quality of patient care by supplying doctors who are educated, trained and motivated to play their part in a first-class modern health service. We aim to ensure there are sufficient numbers of competent and caring general practitioners to meet the diverse needs of the local population and the NHS both now and in the future.
Why choose this school?
Our training has been designed in response to the government's national objectives for health and social care, the local context in which our doctors work, and the changing needs and expectations of the patients they serve.
Programmes are delivered in approved organisations across London. Expert advice and guidance is provided by 83 training programme directors and over 500 trainers. More than 300 trainees will be recruited to training programmes each year.
We offer structured three-year training programmes. We are currently developing four-year training programmes with an aim to provide experience in academic general practice, leadership and management. General practitioners who choose to work in London will have opportunities to develop and grow their skills throughout their working lives.
Who is the head?
Disclaimer The views expressed in these clips are individual perspectives and were correct at the time of filming. They should be understood as personal opinions. All information regarding the recruitment process and trainee pathway were correct at the time of filming. The Deanery either owns all images included or has been kindly granted permission for use.
John Spicer is the current Head of School for GP. He was previously a Patch Associate Director for South East London and a Senior Lecturer in Law and Ethics at St George’s. He has worked in Croydon as a GP since 1985.
Our programmes
Our programmes are designed to help doctors meet the challenges of an ever changing and expectant health service. Key features include:
- New GP curriculum
- Improved assessment tools
- Integrated training programmes
All programmes are integrated to provide educational continuity throughout. They contain an appropriate balance between service and education, formal and informal teaching and learning and primary and secondary care. 80% of our programmes include 18 months in general practice. We plan to apply this to all programmes by August 2009.
Find out more
To find out more about training in general practice with London Deanery visit: