Dr Phil Garnett GP and Chair of CCG

About me

Sadly, Phil passed away in February 2020. Read our tribute to him.

Phil was a GenerationQ Fellow, a GP and Chair of Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

He first joined the GP practice as a partner in 1978 and went on to become the senior partner. He was involved in the performance, quality and financial management of the practice, as well as the teaching of medical students.

Phil held local leadership roles since the early days of practice-based commissioning. From 2002-06, he chaired the professional executive committee of Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust and, in 2006, he was appointed chair of the practice-based commissioning group which later became Scarborough and Ryedale CCG. Phil was a founding board member and trustee of St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough.

Going into GenerationQ, one of Phil’s goals was to deepen his understanding of different approaches to quality improvement and how they can be applied in the context of the NHS. 'Building my knowledge about quality improvement methodologies and leadership styles has been hugely valuable to me in my role as a clinical leader. I found the discipline of completing the assignments especially helpful – each assignment gives you the chance to reflect on what you’ve read and learnt, and to develop your own thinking.'

He added that his experiences during the fellowship have influenced the way he behaves as a leader. 'I’d say there’s been a significant shift in my leadership style, from a ‘heroic’ model of wanting to deliver transformation myself, to a much more inclusive approach. I have greater awareness of how my behaviour affects other people and I place a high value on developing strong relationships with colleagues.'

GenerationQ gave Phil an opportunity to consider how the principle of delivering a high quality patient experience can be embedded into service design. 'I’m interested in how health care commissioners and providers can make sure that patient experience underpins all decisions about service design. I believe that the emphasis has for too long been on achieving financial balance and hitting targets, and we need to refocus on offering the highest quality service to patients.'