Our Structure

GPDF is a company limited by guarantee, consisting of members who are nominated from LMCs across Great Britain. We are governed by a Board of Directors, the majority of whom are or have been GPs and elected by members (i.e. LMCs). A minority of Directors are appointed for their skills or experience in other sectors. (i.e. non-medical).

Day to day management is provided by a back office team, currently led by David Wood. Until 2018, GPDF was very closely linked to the General Practitioners Committee of the BMA. This is no longer the case and the GPDF is completely independent in structure and responsibility from the GPC and BMA.

The Board

Dr Phil Cox

Dr Phil Cox is a GP Partner working in Port Talbot and Chair of Morgannwg LMC. He has a long history of working in elite sport, most recently with the Wales Under 19 football team. A knee injury and lack of talent have limited his athletic ambitions, but he enjoys keeping fit and participating in tennis and football locally. He can usually be found exploring the natural beauty South Wales has to offer with his wife, son and dog.

Contact me at:

[email protected]
or
[email protected]

Dr Keith McIntyre

Keith first became a member of Glasgow LMC in 1994 before transferring to Lanarkshire LMC in 2012, where he is now the chair. He is a member of SGPC, and a Clinical Director of the GP out-of-hours services (OOH) in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Keith was elected as a Director in 2017 and re-elected at the AGM in September 2020.

Contact me at: [email protected]

Jonathan Stanley

Jon was appointed to the Board of GPDF in February 2023 and is an independent Non-Executive Director.

Jon is a practising solicitor, currently working inhouse at a leading European investment bank. In his career spanning more than 20 years as a practising lawyer, Jon has worked at a number of leading UK and international law firms, specialising in equity capital raisings, public mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters.

In addition to his postgraduate legal qualifications, Jon holds a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages (German & French).

Jon’s sister is a practising GP and further members of his family are qualified healthcare professionals in fields including obstetrics & gynaecology, dental therapy and nursing.

Contact me at: [email protected]

Dr Chris Castle

Dr Chris Castle joined Hampshire & IOW LMC in 2017 and has been elected as Vice-Chair since 2017. He is also elected Vice-chair of the board directors for Wessex LMCs. He came to medicine as a graduate having retrained from physiotherapy. In addition to his expansive front line clinical experience he is a Clinical Director for his PCN. He is passionate about representing and protecting the interests of the profession

Contact me at: [email protected]

Dr James Booth

Dr James Booth works as a sessional GP in Chelmsford, having been a partner at practice there for sixteen years. He’s also the Vice-Chair of North Essex LMC and represents Essex at the BMA GP Committee. He’s also the local Named GP for Safeguarding Children and a presenter/author for NB Medical Ltd.

More recently, he’s taken on the role of Medical Director for Cambs LMC and is committed to the vital role that LMCs play in representing GPs and their practice teams, and looks forward to supporting that work through GPDF.

He lives in Chelmsford with his wife, two daughters and whippet, and when he’s not doing the above, likes to work on his atrocious chess game.

Contact me at: [email protected]

Dr Roger Scott

Roger is a GP partner and trainer in Liverpool and is Vice Chair of Liverpool LMC, having been a member since 2016.
He has a keen interest in representation and facilitating the voice of grass roots GPs.
He is a keen amateur chef.

Contact me at: [email protected]

Dr Ben Curtis

Nominee

Dr Ben Curtis is a GP partner in Cambridgeshire. He has extensive experience in system leadership positions; currently working as Medical Director of Cambs Federation and has previously undertaken roles as CCG commissioner for Learning Disabilities, PCN Clinical Director and Cambs LMC board director. He specialises in cardiology; working in a local hospital as a GP Cardiologist and regularly does shifts in out-of-hours. He is known for his strategic thinking, courage to challenge, honesty, and integrity.

Contact me at: [email protected]

Bill Butler

Independent Director

Bill is a member of CIPFA and a member of its Regulatory Panel. Bill’s association with healthcare began with the Audit Commission where he became Acting Director of Health before joining the new Healthcare Commission. He was Finance Director there when it began its work as the NHS regulator in 2006. He joined the Gambling Commission as Director of Corporate Services and was then CEO at the Security Industry Authority. Bill is a non-executive director and chair of the audit & risk committee of the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority. Since 2018, he has been a non-executive lay member of the board of The Law Society for England and Wales.

Daryl Fielding

Independent Director

Daryl Fielding combines board roles with a part time role as a charity CEO. She is a Trustee of The British Heart Foundation and Pelican Cancer Foundation and a NED at the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants. She is CEO of The Marketing Academy Foundation, which she started, a Registered Charity enabling career starts for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Her career includes executive director roles at Vodafone, Mondelez, Independent Newspapers and Ogilvy Advertising. She is the author of The Brand Book, a definitive guide to brands and she is a keynote speaker on brands, marketing and diversity and inclusion.

Origins of GPDF

GPDF Limited has its roots in the early 20th century when its predecessor organisation, initially called The Insurance Defence Fund was founded in 1911. The remit, structure, focus and name (variously General Medical Services Defence Trust and General Medical Services Defence Fund Ltd), has changed and evolved several times over the years but always with a common purpose to support the best interest of publicly funded general practitioners.