This month we are joined by Dr Ayesha Mahmud, a salaried GP, TPD, ICB lead and Faculty Education Lead with a special interest in Learning Disabilities and Autism. Ayesha describes how her GP career path changed due to her passion for advocating for patients with learning disabilities. She also outlines her achievements within this area of work and highlights of the role.
Top tips:
You can always change direction of travel – Ayesha previously had a background in minor surgery and changed to learning disabilities as it was a passion of hers with a personal meaning to drive change
Find your Tribe – Ayesha recommends exploring the RCGP Special Interest Group for Learning Disabilities where you can connect with those who share your special interest, expand your networks and opportunities and learn from each other- Raise awareness of your work – If you are working to improve the quality of patient care for those with learning disabilities, it is important to raise awareness of this as it can lead to more joined up thinking and improved patient outcomes
Expand your knowledge - Ayesha highly recommends the RCGP One Day Essentials courses for different topics which are now free to members to book
Small changes can be rewarding – Implementing small changes in your practice can be hugely beneficial to patients. Ayesha provides an example of this whereby her GP Practice has an alert system set up for a patient on the learning disability register, so the receptionist is notified and can try to make reasonable adjustments for them such as a longer appointment time.
