Local GP among NHS champions saluted at exclusive Downing Street event

Dr Salman Shahid, a GP from Middleton, has been acknowledged as a Local NHS Champion by Rt Hon Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Dr Shahid - associate medical director, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Integrated Care Partnership - attended an exclusive event at No 10 Downing Street recently.

Dr Shahid is a GP, clinical lead and senior business partner at Rochdale Road Medical Centre in Middleton, and an active campaigner of the integrated health and social care model.

Along with his team, Dr Shahid has been actively collaborating with community and voluntary services at the neighbourhood level to tackle the challenges of poverty, isolation loneliness and deprivation.

Dr Shahid has been recognised following a recommendation made by local MP Mr Chris Clarkson, who attended the Middleton social prescribing event last year and who has since been involved in picking up issues related to both health and social care with Dr Shahid.

Mr Clarkson was impressed with the work being carried out and wanted to highlight them at the health and social care parliamentary levels.

Dr Shahid spoke with Mr Barclay about regional health and care challenges particularly around mental health. Integrated health care services involving GPs, social prescribers, neighbourhood teams and voluntary sectors are helping, but there is significant impact on young people and teenagers’ mental health and wellbeing which requires policies and further discussions.  

Mr Barclay said: ‘The NHS has changed a lot over the last 75 years.

"Patients are 80% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease today than in 1948.

"Back then, the NHS had 144,000 members of staff – it now has 1.4 million.

"In 1948 it had a budget of £11 billion, it is now over £180 billion.

"But two things have not changed.

"The amazing staff who provide high quality care for patients, and that it is free to the point of use.

"Those are the principles that we are all here to celebrate today."

Speaking after the event, Dr Shahid said: “It was a great opportunity to meet Mr Barclay and other MPs and to highlight our regional funding and workforce issues.

"It’s fantastic to hear that the government is thinking about investing in long term plans for the NHS.”

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