Professional Executive Committee Profiles

The creation of Primary Care Trusts has been hailed as the most fundamental change that has taken place within the history of the NHS.

Primary Care Trusts will be new free-standing organisations and they will have more freedoms and flexibilities and will therefore be able to ensure that developments are sensitive to local needs.

The Government believes that the development of Primary Care Trusts is an opportunity for local people, those working in health care, social services and serving other wider communities, to shape services by bringing decision making closer to local communities.

The ‘engine room’ of the Primary Care Trust is the Executive Committee, with Health Professionals in the ‘driving seat’ of the Primary Care Trust.

The Executive Committee consists of six GPs, two Nurses, one Therapist, a Public Health Consultant, Director of Social Services, Chief Executive, Director of Finance, Director of Commissioning, Strategic Development & Performance Management, Director of Corporate Development and the Director of Primary Care.

The role of this committee is to develop detailed recommendations on priorities, service policies and investment plans.

It is also required to implement the Primary Care Trust Board decisions and to give a lead on the day to day running of the Trust.

GP Lead Primary Care Development - Dr. Malcolm Ridgway

Malcolm was born in Haydock, Lancashire, and completed his medical training in Manchester, where he qualified in 1979. He then went onto to complete a vocational training scheme in Blackburn, and in 1983 became a member of the Royal College of GPs. He worked initially as a GP in Haydock, but then returned to Blackburn to practice as a GP at Roman Road Health Centre, where he has been since 1987.

Malcolm is a co-founder, and former Chairman, of the Blackburn and District Out of Hours Co-operative, and he previously was the Primary Care Development GP Lead for Blackburn with Darwen PCT.

His sporting interests include golf (10 handicap) and he is the Medical Officer for Haydock Park Racecourse and occasionally for Blackburn Rovers Football Club. Married for 25 years, he has 3 daughters, one of whom now works within the pharmaceutical industry.

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