Bevan GP Awarded MBE in Queens Birthday Honours List
Bevan Healthcare GP, Anne Connolly has been awarded an MBE for services to primary care and women’s health in Bradford and across the UK in the 2021 Queens Birthday Honours List published today.
Anne is a highly respected GP in the field of women’s health and has practiced in Bradford since 1990. Anne has also worked for Bradford CCG from 2003 to 2020 with a focus on developing and improving women’s health services in Bradford. Anne joined Bevan Healthcare in 2015.
Bevan are widely recognised for a pioneering approach to the provision of primary care, health, and wellbeing services to socially excluded groups including people experiencing homelessness, sex workers, asylum seekers, refugees, Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller groups. Anne has been a driving force in developing a range of services at Bevan which specifically address the needs of vulnerable women and families. These include contraceptive services, sexual health, women’s health, preconception care, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, modern slavery.
Anne is frequently consulted in an advisory role on how to address inequalities in health service provision for women. She is one of the founder members and Chair of the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum and the women’s health champion for Royal College of General Practitioners focussing on the education of primary care nurses and doctors to help them improve their own services for women.
Anne will be presented with the award by a member of the Royal Family at an Investiture. On finding out she was to receive an MBE Anne said:
“I am stunned and honoured to receive this award. I have been privileged to work with many others to raise the profile of women’s health needs so that women receive the quality holistic care they need and deserve. There are many inequalities women experience because of pregnancy, period or menopausal problems. But there is also an inequality within the inequality for those women we care for at Bevan who are socially excluded and particularly affected by cuts in services or barriers to accessing health and wellbeing care.”
Helen Hirst, Accountable Officer at NHS Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said:
“This honour is recognition for the many things Anne has achieved and the fantastic impact she’s had on women’s health services in Bradford district and Craven, as well as nationally, and is thoroughly deserved. I am particularly pleased that this recognises the important role our frontline staff, such as GPs, play in supporting the health and wellbeing of people from all communities, but particularly those who are most vulnerable, and their work to reduce health inequalities.”