Doctors considering a career move would do well to check out a video that’s being used to promote a GP vacancy, according to the Programme Manager of the Scottish Rural Medicine Collaborative.
Martine Scott says the video neatly sums up all that is good about general practice in remote and rural practice.
The video is being used as a part of a bid to plug an imminent vacancy on Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides, where the husband-and-wife team of GPs David Binnie and Jan Brooks will retire at the end of March after 10 years as the island’s GPs.
“In the short film Dr Binnie neatly sums up everything that’s good about being a GP in some of Scotland’s more isolated communities,” Martine said. “It can certainly be challenging but with that come rewards that GPs may not necessarily get from working in, say, an urban practice.
“My message to any GP thinking about moving to another practice is simple: take a look at this video. Four minutes’ viewing might change your life!”
With a population of just 134, Colonsay has been described as the “Jewel of the Hebrides”. Ten miles long and two miles wide, it’s a little more than two hours from Oban by ferry and its GP practice is just about as remote as one can get in Scotland.
But Drs Binnie and Brooks see their relative isolation as one of the key attractions to their work.
As Dr Binnie is reported as saying in The Observer newspaper recently: “The challenges are also the benefits. The isolation gives you this extra sense of responsibility and reward. Dealing with illness in a remote setting taxes your medical skills but through this you get far longer with your patients and get to know them as people.”
The job-sharing couple’s job satisfaction is coupled by a love of Colonsay that’s so strong they intend to remain on the island in their retirement.
The vacancy is being advertised by NHS Highland with support from the practice and its four-person patient representative group, chaired by Eileen Geekie, who moved to the island from England four years ago.
She said: “I would like to see that someone will see this as a life-changing opportunity: a chance to do something completely different. We know it’s a niche role which may narrow the pool of people who may be interested, but we also know what a wonderful place this is. Colonsay is a lovely island, completely unspoiled, with no crime and a tremendous sense of community.”
Rebecca Helliwell, Associate Medical Director, Argyll and Bute, added: “This is a really attractive prospect for the right person – and there’s the added bonus of a doctor’s house available for rent from the health board. We’ve had some excellent interest in the vacancy and I’m hopeful that we’ll get someone in place soon.”
She added: “There are also GP vacancies on Mull that we are currently advertising (see here). Our island communities are wonderful places to live and work, as I’m sure some excellent doctors will soon discover.”
More information about Colonsay is available on the island’s website.
Ian Blair, a Project Manager with the SMRC, added: “It’s no wonder that the Colonsay vacancy has attracted considerable media interest. It is such an attractive proposition for someone who wants a fulfilling career in a close-knit community on a stunningly beautiful island.
“It’s a good example of something we tell people at every opportunity: there are some fantastic career and lifestyle opportunities for GPs in some of our remote, rural and island opportunities, as they will find on our dedicated GP jobs website.”
The Colonsay video was produced by Colin McPherson, a professional videographer and a friend of the island’s GPs.