Kanani appointed the country’s top family doctor

Dr Nikki Kanani is now the country’s top family doctor after being appointed Medical Director for Primary Care for the NHS in England.

Kanani will continue to work as a GP in Bexley, south-east London. Prior to joining NHS England as Deputy Medical Director of Primary Care, she was Chief Clinical Officer of NHS Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Upon starting her new role, Kanani says she sees the development of Primary Care Networks as vital.

Kanani said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS England and NHS Improvement. This is one of the most central roles in the NHS for delivering even better treatment and services for our patients and I would like to thank friends and colleagues across the NHS who have been so supportive over the past year since I took on the role in an interim capacity.

“It has certainly been a sharp learning curve, but over that year we have achieved so much – including publishing the NHS Long Term Plan with a core focus on Primary Care, agreeing an historic five-year GP contract, and building new relationships across the profession.”