Local medical committees have been in existence since about 1911 and work to support general practice in their respective areas.

A couple of very helpful articles from Wessex LMCs and Kent LMC explain more about how LMCs work.

As a junior doctor in training and as a medical student, we seldom heard about LMCs. And I now find sessional GPs are often underrepresented on LMCs in comparison with partners. This is why the BMA sessional GPs committee is keen to promote the value of engaging with LMCs to all our sessional colleagues.

I heard about the LMC for the first time in 2010/11 during my involvement with the BMA Trent junior doctors committee. The incumbent LMC trainee representative approached me and asked whether I’d like to take over from him. After a few email exchanges, my LMC membership was confirmed in spring 2011.

All the committee members were warm and welcoming, but initially, a lot of conversations went over my head and sometimes felt overwhelming. All those discussions and the content of the meetings started making more sense after my involvement with the BMA GP trainees subcommittee as East Midlands representative.

My experience of being on the LMC, as a GP trainee representative, was positive, informative and enlightening. I carried on as a member after my certificate of completion of training and I have never looked back. Lots of changes have happened in the LMC committee and on the LMC board and leadership too.

I got elected as one of the directors in 2018 and now we have a very vibrant and diverse committee, in terms of gender and race and sessionals and partners.

Since being elected to the SGPC, I have been asked to revamp the LMC sessional GPs subcommittee. We have a great mix of a lot of grass root salaried and locum GPs on this subcommittee.

Through the discussions at one of our meetings, the idea of setting up a peer support group for locums through an LMC supported chambers model, emerged.

We have partnered with Derbyshire LMC medical chambers and have now setup Notts medical chambers. Work is under way and we have had a few practices sign up for locums during this month.

So please do not think that LMCs don’t support sessional GPs. And if you feel that your LMC is not doing enough, then please consider becoming a part of the LMC.

The sessional GP workforce has grown considerably over the last few years and there is a long way to go in terms supporting our sessional GP colleagues, in the ever-changing primary care landscape. Open up the dialogue and send that email you have been considering today.

Kalindi Tumurugoti is a sessional GPs committee member.