A new era for BEMS...passing on the baton!

Passing on the baton: as a new chapter begins we celebrate the retirement of Julia Griffith and welcome Dr Charles Bleakley as the new CEO of BEMS

It is both an honor and a moment of reflection as we announce the retirement of our esteemed CEO, Julia Griffith. After dedicating over 12 years to shaping our organisation, her departure marks a significant transition for all of us. However, we are equally excited to welcome a new leader, Dr Charles Bleakley, who is enthusiastic and ready to guide BEMS into a promising future. This blog post reflects on our outgoing CEO's impactful legacy and highlights the ambitious vision our new CEO has for BEMS.

A Fond Farewell to Our Outgoing CEO

Julia has been the CEO of BEMS since 2022, after previously being the Business Director since 2013. She has enjoyed an extensive career in the NHS and has been a prominent figure for over 20 years in Primary Care in B&NES and Wiltshire localities. Hear what Julia had to say:

Reflecting on your time at BEMS, what’s been your proudest moment as CEO?

One of my proudest moments at BEMS was securing our first contract through a competitive tendering process. This achievement was a major milestone, highlighting the strength of our proposal and the confidence commissioners had in our ability to deliver exceptional services. Winning that contract marked the start of an exciting new chapter for BEMS, paving the way for future success.

One of the proudest aspects of my role as CEO has been witnessing how efficiently and safely we mobilise new services within tight timescales. We do this by bringing together the entire team to deliver exceptional results. And despite the fact that successfully launching a new service is always a complex process, the BEMS team ways rise to the challenge.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your role?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being CEO is hearing directly from commissioners about the high quality of the services we provide. Knowing that the work we do is highly regarded is incredibly fulfilling, as it reflects our commitment to maintaining high standards, refining our processes, and staying responsive to evolving needs across our locality.

What lessons have you learnt in your leadership journey?

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a leader is that you cannot do everything yourself and that it is important to build and nurture a team culture where individuals are trusted and encouraged to excel in their areas of expertise.

What are your career highlights?

Other than being CEO of BEMS, one of the most fulfilling parts of my career was working as a project manager, setting up new patient services. Taking an idea from concept to reality—navigating planning, implementation, and problem-solving—was incredibly rewarding, especially knowing these services made a real difference in patient care.

Another career highlight was my role as Director of Primary Care in the Primary Care Trust, where I worked closely with independent contractors like GPs and pharmacists to enhance services. This role required strategic thinking and collaboration to improve accessibility and healthcare delivery, making a meaningful impact on patient outcomes.

How are you planning to spend your newfound free time?

Walking lots, visiting National Trust properties, travelling, gardening and visiting gardens, volunteering, live music, and to keep learning via University of the Third Age.

Introducing Our New CEO

Dr Bleakley joined BEMS as Clinical Governance Director in April 2023. He has had a wide range of experience of roles after a career in the Royal Navy, including Primary Care Network Clinical Director, GP Partner, sessional GP, and representative on the BSW committee of Wessex LMC. Hear what Charles had to say:

What excites you most about stepping into this role?

Building relationships with practices and other healthcare organisations who help care for our patients. For BEMS as the GP federation, I see the relationship with our member practices and by extension our PCNs as key. There is also an important role in helping represent the interests of primary care and improving patient care by working with different organisations such as hospitals, community trusts, the third sector and healthcare commissioners. I think it important that all these different organisations find ways to better integrate the care that they provide for patients.

What do you envision the most rewarding aspect of being a CEO to be?

Being able to lead a great team. BEMS is fortunate to have talented individuals who have a desire to see things done well and improve. I hope to be able to help everyone succeed and achieve their full potential.

What are your top three priorities for your new CEO role?

• To ensure a smooth transition, both internally as an organisation and externally with our partners. Moving back to having a GP fulfil the CEO role will mean that a number of roles and responsibilities within BEMS will need to be adjusted. Continuing to meet with key stakeholders in other organisations to maintain and build relationships will be important too.

• In conjunction with BEMS and our member practices, to reappraise our strategy and long term vision as an organisation.

• Ensure long term financial stability for BEMS. Like for many organisations across healthcare there have been increased cost pressures on a background of limited resources for health contracts.

  
  

Could you share a bit about your career journey before joining BEMS, including any key experiences and roles that have shaped your leadership?

I went to medical school at Queen’s University Belfast where I was a student representative on university committees. During my two foundation years I served on the BMA Northern Ireland Junior Doctor’s committee. For the following three years I worked for the Royal Navy which included completing leadership training and two deployments abroad as a ship’s medical officer responsible for the healthcare of the ship’s company and managing the medical team on board. I moved to B&NES for my GP registrar jobs and have stayed since. Key roles since then have been a Sulisdoc (B&NES sessional GP group) committee member, BSW LMC committee GP representative, partner for 5 years at West View Surgery, and Keynsham PCN clinical director for 4 years. I have been BEMS Director of Quality and Clinical Governance and Community Services redesign lead GP for the last 2 years which has given me the opportunity to really get to know the running and leadership of BEMS and get to know key people on other community providers locally.

What key things have you learnt from our departing CEO that will be valuable?

Julia has shared a wealth of knowledge regarding the historic and current commissioning of healthcare in B&NES and the key individual stakeholders. Having worked in BEMS for a long time I have been able to learn from her how BEMS is run and organised and get an understanding about the abilities of our staff.

A note from BEMS Management Executive Committee

'As Julia prepares to retire from her role as Chief Executive of BEMS, the members of the Management Executive Committee would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for her exceptional leadership, dedication, and service to B&NES Primary Care.

Over the years, Julia has been an unwavering advocate for primary care in B&NES and the continuous improvement of our local NHS services. Her commitment and vision have left a lasting impact on BEMS and the General Practice membership we serve. We thank her for her inspiring support and leadership.

While she will be greatly missed, we wish her a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement'