New home-visiting private healthcare service launched in Leeds by doctor who is an expert in Long Covid
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Dr Ben Sinclair is heading up a Leeds-based team of GPs treating all medical conditions at the practice, named Dr Finlay’s Private Practice after BBC television drama series Dr Finlay's Casebook. He said: “The practice was a dream for a long time, to have a practice with everything you needed, almost like a one-stop shop. It was difficult as a GP to do much in 10 minutes. I wanted more time with patients, to be able to go into detail and prevent illness before it starts. I want to give people that good old-fashioned relationship with their doctor that you used to have in the old days, but with cutting-edge technology.
"My grandpa was a GP back in the 50s and 60s and when I was thinking about I wanted to do, I wanted to do what he did, have that relationship and be part of the community. We called it Dr Finlay's Practice because Dr Finlay was a well-known visiting GP. We've built it around the needs of people. In lockdown, we found that more and more people were not able to see a doctor but really needed to see one. It's become a home-visiting and online service offering hopefully everything that patients might need. We're getting really good quality patient relationships.”
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Hide AdAmong the conditions the practice can offer support with is Long Covid, something Dr Sinclair has become an expert in having experienced it himself. Following his Covid-19 infection, Dr Sinclair experienced difficulty talking and even paralysis. He explained: “I got Covid in December 2020 and just couldn't get well, even though I'd been very physically active before that. I was into triathlon, very fit and active. I just couldn't get back to work.
"I got this weird paralysis down my left hand side about three months after the initial infection and found I had difficulty talking. I couldn't quite form a word. I had to sign myself off work and try investigate what on Earth was going on with me. I then discovered it was Long Covid and was really desperately trying to find a way to research my way out of it. I was learning a lot about it and realised I was well-placed, both as a GP, to pull together all the important bits affecting people with Covid. When I got the Long Covid, nobody really knew much about it and it was very bewildering.
"I also had an interest in chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. I actually had chronic fatigue myself when I was much younger during my A-levels so I really understood it as a patient and a doctor. I felt I could really help people with my experience. It's a massive issue.”
He contracted Covid-19 while working part-time as a prison doctor, where he provided treatment to inmates. Dr Sinclair also had cancer over a decade ago, and the care he received while he had the illness has also provided inspiration for his work. He said: “I've been a patient a couple of times in my life - I had cancer back in 2012 and that really changed my view of what it's like being a patient because you're on the other side of the fence. You're receiving the healthcare. I had a really positive experience of the cancer care and it really inspired me to deliver high-quality care myself.”
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Hide AdThe practice, located at 24 The Avenue in Alwoodley, is now open for business and Dr Sinclair has likened the opening of the practice to a homecoming, as he studied for a medical and surgical degree at the University of Leeds. He said: “I've been in Yorkshire for 22 years, I studied in Leeds and then lived in York where I trained and practiced as a GP. It feels a bit like coming home really, which is really nice. I love Yorkshire. I grew up down south but I have adopted Yorkshire.”