A Burnham-On-Sea GP has this week been presented with the prestigious British Empire Medal after being recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours earlier this year.
Dr Harvey Sampson, a GP who dedicated over 40 years to caring for the community of Burnham and Highbridge, and the wider population of Somerset, has received the award for services to General Practice.
As a GP he played a key role in modernising the practice to better serve the local population. He contributed considerably to Somerset’s healthcare system, serving on many different committees, and helped to save Highbridge Medical Centre when it was at risk of closure and was instrumental in ensuring the long-term sustainability of local healthcare services.
Despite having retired from full-time practice, his ongoing work has positively impacted the lives of approximately 30,000 patients in the Highbridge and Burnham areas.
He has this week received the medal from Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq, who presented the medals to six county recipients.
He said: “I was delighted to present these medals. They represent the dedication these individuals have given to their communities over the years. They truly deserve this recognition.”
Dr Sampson told Burnham-On-Sea.com he is “absolutely delighted” to have received the recognition.
“It has been a privilege to help care for patients in Somerset over the years, and to be recognised for my work with the award of British Empire Medal is a huge honour.”
After qualifying in medicine at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, Dr Sampson moved to Somerset in 1979 to train as a GP in Taunton. He then worked as a GP in Somerset for over 40 years, and from 1982 – 2015 was a GP partner at Burnham Medical Centre.
Whilst working as a GP at Burnham, Dr Sampson was involved in training many other GPs and medical students, as well as helping to lead the project to develop and build the Berrow Health Campus which opened in 2011.
He also held a number of other roles supporting the wider health community in Somerset, including member of the Professional Executive Committee of Somerset Primary Care Trust, special advisor to the Clinical Commissioning Group for many years and Chairman of the Somerset GP committee from 2000 – 2004.
Having left Burnham Medical Centre in 2015, Dr Sampson returned from retirement in October 2016 as GP Clinical Lead at Highbridge Medical Centre, which became part of Symphony Healthcare Services, and helping to improve the CQC rating from Inadequate to Good in all areas.
In April 2019, Dr Sampson, took on the role as Director for Strategic Development in Symphony Healthcare Services where he continued to provide clinical leadership and expertise.
He has been integral to the development and improvement of general practice services in many areas across Somerset, including most recently the integration of Burnham Medical Centre into Symphony Healthcare, where he helped to implement an improvement in the CQC rating from ‘Inadequate’ to ‘Good’.
The award was announced in June as part of the King’s Birthday Honours.
