Robert McGibbon on health centres in the 1960s
Apr 22, 01:51 PM
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Born in London in 1943, Robert McGibbon qualified in 1965 and became a GP in Camden Town. He was interviewed by the College for NHS70 in February 2018.
50:51 – 52.34
So, the '66 Charter then enabled general practitioners to employ staff and get 70% of that time reimbursed for their salary. So, it was encouraging GPs to have receptionists and secretaries and that. And also, there was a whole complicated business of, they could build health centres and get notional rents for them. They could raise the money, build a surgery, and then get a rent from the National Health Service to pay for their mortgage basically, called the notional rent it was. And that's when we all launched off! I mentioned the Caversham, the Caversham before that were an unconverted house in Kentish Town, and they got together with the James Wick and built a whole new health centre on that basis following the '66 Charter. My health centre where I started in Goodinge, funnily enough, had actually been built by the Housing Department. Islington Housing Department had built a health centre on the assumption that they would get health service and general practice money back in terms of rent and community health services using it for rent. And the two doctors who were going to go into it died by the time it was built, so that's when I went there at that stage. But those were the days again, working with the local authority!
50:51 – 52.34
So, the '66 Charter then enabled general practitioners to employ staff and get 70% of that time reimbursed for their salary. So, it was encouraging GPs to have receptionists and secretaries and that. And also, there was a whole complicated business of, they could build health centres and get notional rents for them. They could raise the money, build a surgery, and then get a rent from the National Health Service to pay for their mortgage basically, called the notional rent it was. And that's when we all launched off! I mentioned the Caversham, the Caversham before that were an unconverted house in Kentish Town, and they got together with the James Wick and built a whole new health centre on that basis following the '66 Charter. My health centre where I started in Goodinge, funnily enough, had actually been built by the Housing Department. Islington Housing Department had built a health centre on the assumption that they would get health service and general practice money back in terms of rent and community health services using it for rent. And the two doctors who were going to go into it died by the time it was built, so that's when I went there at that stage. But those were the days again, working with the local authority!