NEXT GEN NABS: RAMMYA MATHEW

What role(s) do you hold at the moment?

Just the two, and that feels like plenty at the moment. I’m first and foremost a GP. I also lead a regional quality improvement team. 

Since the pandemic, I’ve been doing whatever needs doing though – including 111 telephone triage and now working in a primary care ‘hot service’, seeing and assessing patients with suspected covid-19.

What brings you the most joy at work?

I get most joy in being part of a brilliant team. I’ve always been lucky to have colleagues that I can learn from and be inspired by.

What is your biggest challenge?

The quality improvement work gives me great joy, but we are dealing with complex problems and big system change. This means things don’t always go to plan, so it requires resilience and an acceptance that it’s okay to not always ‘succeed’.

What’s the best leadership/career advice you’ve ever recieved?

Be yourself!!

Who do you look up to?

When I was doing my academic GP training, I met Helen Stokes Lampard and was so impressed by her. She was so personable, deeply empathetic and wasn’t afraid of sharing aspects of her personal life and showing her vulnerability. I was not at all surprised when she was elected as Chair of the College some years later.

What would you like to achieve by the end of your career?

I just want to have enjoyed myself, feel like I’ve put my talents to use and to have made good friendships along the way..

What have you learned about yourself in lockdown?

That family is the most important thing to me – seeing my little boy at the end of a long or upsetting day, always seems to make it all better.

What are you reading at the moment? ……and (no judgement) the last film you watched..

The tattooist of Auschwitz. Not a film but watched ‘Unorthodox’ on Netflix, which was just brilliant, so had to share.