Who is Chris Mimnagh?

I always find it difficult to write about myself.

It either comes out like an ego trip or as dry as a CV!

Here's my story.
I qualified in medicine from Liverpool in 1988 after an uneventful undergraduate career.

All I wanted to be was a GP, so once I'd completed my first GP attachment I took locum work in dozens of practices whilst still working as a hospital junior Doctor- that was perfectly legal back then, but not allowed now.

I went straight from VTS into a 2 partner 5000 patients practice, as the junior partner. I learned a lot in that small practice. We shared fundholding with another practice and our fund manager Tim Farrelly was instrumental in introducing me to technology.
After a few years I had done everything possible as regards technology in that partcular practice and so too the opportunity to return to my old training practice.

Once back in Kirkby at Wingate Medical Centre, the computerisation process began all over again this time in a 8 Partner 15000 2 site practice!

This time Neil Grice the PCG Chief Exec was instrumental in encouraging me to support all Kirkby Practices in moving to a common clinical system supplier.

Within a year or so I was lucky enough to obtain funding for a Masters in Health Informatics ( Organisational development) based at Surrey, Manchester and Erasmus in Rotterdam.
This course proved very influential, as it exposed all the participants to different ways of funding and delivering health care from systems across Europe.

Before completing the Masters (which I did in 2002) I found myself being offered a post as Clinical Knowledge Manager in the local Hospital based informatics service. Martin Murphy the Director of Informatics (who later went on to be part of the Welsh Informatics scene) gave be the best advice i have ever received. "Don't give up your clinical practice".

After rising to the dizzy heights of Acting Deputy Director Health Informatics, it became apparent that my career would remain in the realms of thespianism unless something changed.

When the Medical Director post for NHS Knowsley was advertised I ended up applying and after a minor hiccup took the post.

Knowsley was a fantastic place to work, Anita Marsland, Chief Exec has a unique style and attention to detail which I have certainly assimilated in to some of my techniques.
During the nearly six years I spent in Knowsley I have learned much about how shared values and a spirit of partnership can bring about significant changes in the way health care is delivered.

During my time at Knowsley the NHS underwent many changes and challenges. I left Knowsley with more GPs, more training practices, an education centre and in collaboration with the whole health economy we have started to stem the rising tide of hospital admissions and outpatient attendances.

I truly believe that the key to success in the NHS is a strong and vibrant primary care environment.

Update on Friday, September 30, 2011 at 5:24PM by Chris Mimnagh

Belief in a strong primary care as the solution to the Nicholson challenge to make the NHS affordable seems like an unlikely bedrock for me to use as a foundation to take a post in a major hospital, at director level, but that is exactly what happened in August this year.

Whilst still continuing to practice as a GP I have moved to take up Director of Strategy and Innovation at Aintree Hospitals Foundation Trust.