21: GP+ Child Health with Dr Amina Al-Yassin

This episode of the GP+ Careers podcast features Dr Amina Al-Yassin, a First5 GP who has built a dynamic portfolio focused on child health. Dr Al-Yassin details her experience balancing clinical sessions with strategic leadership roles at Barnardo’s and as a Clinical Lead for local children’s services. Listeners will discover how to navigate spin fellowships, engage with community Child Health Hubs, and leverage their unique GP skills in specialist settings like CAMHS. Top Tips

Leverage spin Fellowships for protected time - If you are early in your career, look into spin fellowships. These schemes are designed to improve GP retention by providing protected time (usually one or two sessions a week) to develop a special interest or an extended role. Dr Al-Yassin used this to work within a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), gaining frontline experience in neurodevelopmental assessments and medication management. This protected headspace is helpful when first developing a new area of expertise.

Prioritise practical experience over formal certificates - While additional qualifications like the Diploma in Child Health or the Diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health are available, they are not always prerequisites for extended roles. Dr Al-Yassin emphasizes that the skills you already possess as a GP i.e. being well-versed in both physical and mental health across all ages, are unique and highly valuable. Learning on the job, showing enthusiasm, and maintaining a holistic perspective often count for more than a certificate.

Engage with local Child Health hubs - Investigate whether your local area or Integrated Care Board (ICB) has established child health hubs. These are community-based clinics where paediatricians and GPs work together in the same room to provide specialist input for families. If you cannot work in one immediately, ask to sit in on clinics or participate in their virtual Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings, which often include health visitors, school nurses, and therapists.

Connect through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) - Networking is essential for discovering opportunities that may not be widely advertised. Joining RCGP Special Interest Groups, such as the Adolescent Health SIG, connects you with like-minded colleagues who share insights on vacancies, projects, and educational opportunities. Other helpful networks include groups focused on health inequalities or neurodiversity.

Blend strategic leadership with Clinical Practice - A portfolio career allows you to balance "big picture" strategic work with direct patient care. Roles in organisations like Barnardo’s or as a Clinical Lead for a borough involve looking at population health needs and designing systemic solutions, such as asthma care pathways. Maintaining some clinical GP sessions is beneficial because it keeps you connected to the realities and hardships of patients, which in turn informs and improves your leadership decisions.

Establish firm professional boundaries - One of the challenges of a portfolio career is "overspill," where work from one role leaks into another or into your personal time. Strategic and leadership roles often require more time than the paid sessions suggest. To avoid burnout, it is important to be self-aware and block out time for downtime and family, ensuring that your varied interests do not encroach on your personal life.

Further reading

RCGP Adolescent health Special Interest Group: www.rcgp.org.uk/about/communities-groups/adolescent-group

RCGP Mentoring: www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring

RCGP One Day Essentials: www.rcgp.org.uk/learning-resources/courses-and-events/one-day-essentials

RCGP GPwER in child and adolescent mental health (CAMH): www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-extended-roles/child-adolescent-mental-health-introduction

Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHS): www.mind.org.uk/for-young-people/camhs/understanding-camhs/

RCPCH Diploma in Child Health: www.rcp