Cookstown GP scoops top award

Dr Keith McCollum, a former pupil of Cookstown Primary and High School, and now with a surgery in south Armagh, was toasted with the prestigious award at the inaugural General Practice Awards 2011.

More than 450 health professionals paid tribute the GP at a glittering ceremony in London.

Dr McCollum said: “I only wished more of the practice team had been able to come over because it reflects the work the surgery has done as much as what I do.”

His surgery, Willowbank in Keady, redesigned the diabetes care pathway with the twin aims of improving efficiency and quality and the approach used a web-based pathway and a diabetic review score designed by Dr McCollum.

The practice also received a £2,500 bursary from medical consultants BMI Healthcare to be used as a fund for developing the practice’s resources.

“We very much see ourselves as a practice that tries to innovate and improve the lives of our patients,” said Dr McCollum.

“At times innovation is not often reflected upon within primary care so it’s nice to get an award that validates the work we’ve been doing. It’s given everyone a real boost.”