20: GP+ NHSE Clinical Advisor with Dr Maria Mastrantonio

In this episode of the GP+ Careers podcast, host Dr Sophie Lumley is joined by Dr Maria Mastrantonio, a Clinical Advisor to NHS England's regional team in the south west. Maria explains her specific role overseeing a team of GP reviewers who handle patient complaints made directly to NHS England about primary care services. The episode also covers Maria's career path to this leadership role, the flexible nature of the reviewing work for other GPs, and advice for those interested in similar portfolio careers and leadership positions within NHS England.

Top Tips

• Just say yes to opportunities: Maria strongly recommends adopting the mindset to "just say yes" when an opportunity arises, even if you doubt your ability to do it. Saying yes allows you to build up a body of experience that will help you move into new roles. Her own role as Clinical Reviewer began with a chance email that was sent to GP appraisers, and she thought "why not" go for the opportunity.

• Actively hunt for opportunities: Be aware of your emails and bulletins because job opportunities frequently appear in them. For formal NHS England roles, Maria advises checking NHS jobs. You can also use word of mouth to find people working for NHS England or the Integrated Care Board (ICB).

• Gain practical experience in leadership and complaints: Acquire relevant experience under your belt first. For those interested in review roles, Maria suggests a great starting point is getting involved in complaints within your own practice to learn how medical defence organisations suggest responding. Additionally, seeking out any leadership roles (within or outside the practice) or becoming an appraiser can provide helpful supportive skills.

• Leverage existing skills and education: Recognise that you bring all your prior experiences into new roles. For example, having an educational background can help frame clinical reviews around learning needs rather than just right or wrong answers. Even if a new venture (like a medical school role) doesn't work out, the failures become your best learning experiences and are great to discuss in an interview.

• Network regionally and seek mentorship: Find out who the Clinical Advisors are in your region because processes and roles differ regionally and ask them for mentorship or for details on how they entered their positions. If finding clinicians proves difficult on websites, look for programme managers within the regional offices, as they are excellent contacts who can signpost you or provide clinician contact details.

• Be flexible and try new things: Nothing in career diversification is "set in stone". If a new role isn't what you expected, you can step down and try something else. Start by trying roles like medical school teaching or offering a session at VTS (Vocational Training Scheme), as these can be stepping stones to leadership roles.

Further reading

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

· NHS Jobs: https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate

· NICE guidelines: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance

· NHSE regional teams: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/regional-area-teams/


Maria Mastrantonio is a GP of over 20 years experience, practicing in Devon with a strong coaching and educational background. She has a MSc in Clinical Education. She has previously also been a Training Programme Director and Trainer. She is currently also GP appraiser and is Clinical Advisor for NHSE South West. In addition, she is an ILM 7 level qualified coach, a LMC Devon coach and a GP Fellowship mentor.

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