It’s my 60th birthday on July 10th and I’m lucky enough to say that there’s nothing that I really need, so, as a way of giving back, I’d like to raise money for the surgery to buy a new heart recording machine (an ECG) and 24hr blood pressure machine which would help to enhance the provision of a high standard of patient care.

Here’s the backstory to this special effort - I’ve been a GP at The Coatham Surgery for 31 years this month. It was a very stable practice for 25 years, but then we suffered the progressive loss of 5 partners over as many years through ill health, retirement and relocation and I was ‘last man standing’. Throughout my time here it’s been an honour to work alongside terrifically dedicated staff and clinicians and it’s been a privilege to serve our patients.

I worked long hours for the NHS since qualifying 36 years ago, the first 5 years mainly in hospitals, then at The Coatham Surgery and out of hours. Over the years it took its toll because I neglected my own fitness and my weight increased to 18st (!) by the time I was 57.

A few years ago my wife Gillian had cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and received wonderful NHS care but as the practice destabilised I was at serious risk of burnout. It is said that the reward of suffering is experience and I discovered that although experience is a good teacher, her invoices are eye-watering!

Life is a long lesson in humility - I felt guilty over our surgery’s poor Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating last year and blamed myself for not keeping on top of things. I felt that I’d let the practice down. On the plus side, I had re-recruited a new GP partner Dr Zaman who has been a real asset, an amazing Practice Manager Helen Williams and we have a terrific set of staff. The practice team pulled together and worked incredibly hard to improve our CQC rating this year and we look forward to continued success with the help of two new GPs, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and a Healthcare Practitioner who have all joined the team in the last 8 months.

As for me, I’ve now taken a step back and work part-time as a salaried GP at the practice. In the last 3 years I’ve lost over 3 stone through a healthier diet and physical training and I’m keen to promote and encourage the benefits of exercise and weight loss at any age.

I’ve been doing a lot of exercise during lockdown and set myself a sponsored goal of doing 1000 press-ups in 10 hours at the surgery on my birthday, Friday 10 July.

I’d be really grateful for your support of my 1000 press-up challenge. I’d appreciate any contributions - and if anyone was thinking of buying me a birthday gift, please donate instead!

With thanks, Edward

**UPDATE**

I COMPLETED THE CHALLENGE ON MY BIRTHDAY WITH A PB OF 2 HRS 43 MINS. I HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED WITH THE SUPPORT I HAVE RECEIVED AND CANNOT THANK EVERYONE ENOUGH!