Dame Helen was recognised for her significant contribution to healthcare through her work as Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) - the umbrella body for all medical Royal Colleges and Faculties - and founding Chair of the National Academy for Social Prescribing. She is also a Trustee of Macmillan Cancer and a Professor at the University of Birmingham.
As Chair of the AoMRC, she works closely with colleagues in government and across the health landscape in all nations of the UK.
As founding Chair of the Board of the National Association of Social Prescribing, she is helping to shape future direction, build strong partnerships, establish an academic basis for the social prescribing movement and raise its profile.
Dame Helen remains a part-time GP partner at The Westgate Practice in Lichfield and her clinical practice constantly informs her national roles. She was awarded a DBE in the New Years Honours list Jan 2022 for services to General Practice.
The RCPSG holds a hugely special place for me. I have been privileged to know many of its leaders over the years and have consistently been inspired by their vision, their passion, and their depth of commitment to pushing the boundaries of medicine and surgery at a time when the NHS in all four nations is under ever-more pressure. I am truly honoured and humbled by this award today, and I am proud to be joining your ranks. My personal and professional journey has always been grounded by the patient and putting them at the heart of everything we do. I know that this is shared by the College and I look forward to working with you in the coming years.
Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard
Dame Helen grew up in Swansea, South Wales, and gained her medical qualification from St Georges Hospital Medical School in 1996. She began working at the University of Birmingham's Department of Primary Care in 2000, while she was a GP registrar. In 2009, she gained a PhD investigating variation in NHS utilisation of vault cytology tests in women post-hysterectomy.
Dame Helen was also the first female honorary treasurer elected in the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in 2012 and was later elevated to serve as Chair from 2016- 2019. During this time, she garnered significant media profile and launched a new vision for General Practice, helping to secure the greatest financial investment in general practice since the formation of the NHS.
Welcoming the new honorary fellows, Mike McKirdy, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said: “Since its foundation more than 400 years ago, the College has had a global outlook, with a focus on bringing health professionals together to raise standards of healthcare and improve lives.
“Our honorary fellows today have dedicated their lives to improving health, and are wonderful examples of what can be achieved by bringing clinicians together with this shared purpose.
“I am delighted to welcome our honorary fellows to our College’s global community.”
