Show Notes
Professor Ray Walley is a general practitioner, academic and medical politician who’s been responsible for ground-breaking advances in Irish healthcare, ranging from the logistics of Covid vaccine delivery and out-of-hours GP cover in Dublin to major High Court settlements, the new Irish GP deal of 2018 and the orchestration of European medical organisations’ opposition to Cannabis legalisation. He is also one of the most frequently mentioned Irish medical practitioners online.
In addition to his busy clinical practice, Professor Walley has a bulging political and administrative CV: he is a past President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and former chairman of the IMO’s GP and International Affairs Committees, a Board Member, Treasurer and past Vice President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors, a member of the HSE GP Covid-19 Advisory Group, Clinical Lead in developing processes to deal with violent patients in General Practice, a Director of Medisec, the Irish medical indemnity insurance company, and a member of the Cannabis Risk Alliance, a loose grouping of medical professionals working to promote public appreciation of the hazards of cannabis.
In this episode, Professor Walley reminisces about a happy Dublin childhood near the Phoenix Park, his intense pride in his school (O’Connell’s in Drumcondra), his affection for the people of the North Inner city, and a work ethic which saw him gainfully employed in a famous Dublin 4 hotel throughout his medical school years. He traces the arc of a hugely successful and varied career through the Mater Hospital, Limerick, Letterkenny, East Sussex, and Falcarragh in Donegal, until his appointment to two North Dublin GMS sites, from where he led the establishment of the D-Doc Urgent Out-of-Hours GP Service - that ‘allowed GPs to have a life’ - and many other innovations. He recalls his political and organisational work with the IMO, the trojan work done by - and immense changes that were accelerated in - family medicine during the recent pandemic, and the consensus he’s helped to develop in Ireland and across Europe in relation to Cannabis legalisation and digital clinical records. Ray recalls many of the people who were inspirational or indispensable to his professional and personal progress, he remains convinced that relationships are the key to success in everything medics aspire to do, and he liberally dispenses insights and tips, which make this conversation a must-listen for trainees, principals and politicians.
Professor Walley is indefatigably optimistic about the future of family medicine, and he reminds us all of the critical importance of General Practice in 21st Century healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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