Ballymoney doctor Dr Sarah Fleming named Northern Ireland GP of the Year 2023; 'Being a GP is a challenging but truly rewarding job'

Dr Sarah Fleming, of Ballymoney Family Practice, was nominated for the award - which is run by the Royal College of General Practitioners - by one of her patients, who described her as "caring, open and approachable".

Dr Fleming said: “The fact that a patient has taken the time and effort to nominate me for this honour is so humbling, and I want to thank them sincerely for doing so.

"Being a GP is a challenging but truly rewarding job, and hearing that we are able to make such a positive impact on people’s lives is what makes the more difficult days worthwhile.

“I also want to thank my wonderful colleagues at Ballymoney Family Practice for all their hard work and commitment to caring for our patients.”

Dr Ursula Mason, chair of RCGP Northern Ireland, congratulated Dr Fleming “for this well-deserved accolade”.

She said: "The record number of nominations we received for our annual awards this year speaks to how highly people across Northern Ireland value their local GP surgeries, even amid the intense pressures we are facing

"We know that when patients come to us, they may be going through some of the most difficult times in their lives, and colleagues like Dr Fleming exemplify the empathetic, patient-centred care which can make all the difference in the world.”

The patient nomination for Dr Fleming stated: “Dr Fleming is caring, open and approachable. When my daughter first went to see her… she was sympathetic, reassuring, and spoke to her directly at a young age [which] was vitally important to give her some control over her condition. This made her more confident in how she interacted with other people.

“Dr Fleming made time to see her at short notice on a number of occasions and helped get her referred. She helped us to educate ourselves and prepared us both for the hospital appointments and what my daughter could expect when we got there.

“Recently, we have needed a lot less GP appointments, but both my daughter and I know… she will be there to help whether over the phone or in person."