How to build a thought leadership profile as a local GP

In today’s fast-moving media landscape, reputation is everything. For General Practitioners (GPs), this goes far beyond the clinic. You’re not just a trusted medical professional — you’re a community leader, a public voice, and a potential force for local change.

But in a world where misinformation spreads fast and digital platforms are increasingly where trust is built (or broken), staying silent is no longer an option.

Over the years, I’ve worked across the healthcare, financial, and third sectors, and if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this: visibility drives authority. Yet, most GPs I meet are so busy managing clinical demands and navigating NHS bureaucracy that they struggle to find time, let alone a clear strategy, for building their public voice.

And that’s where thought leadership comes in.

This article sets out a practical, ethical and impactful approach to building your reputation as a local GP, one that aligns with your values, strengthens community trust, and opens up new opportunities, from influencing health behaviours to shaping regional care strategy.

Why GPs need to embrace thought leadership

Let’s be clear: thought leadership is not about self-promotion for the sake of it. It’s about positioning yourself as a credible, respected, and solution-focused voice within your field, and in your case, within your community.

With the NHS 10-Year Plan to reform and modernise the NHS, general practice is no longer operating in isolation. The Plan sets out a clear vision: to shift healthcare from hospitals back into the community, with an emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and joined-up care.

At the heart of this transformation are Neighbourhood Health Services — locally delivered, community-led healthcare hubs that bring together GPs, pharmacists, mental health professionals, social care, and voluntary sector partners to offer more holistic, place-based care.

This is a pivotal moment for general practice. GPs aren’t just clinicians now, they’re community anchors, tasked with leading population health, tackling inequalities, and engaging local citizens in their own wellbeing.

To do that effectively, you need a public voice.

A strong thought leadership profile can:

• Enhance your professional reputation

• Attract media and policy influence opportunities

• Build trust with your patient population

• Position your practice as progressive, informed, and aligned with national transformation

• Make your voice heard in local commissioning or Integrated Care Board (ICB) conversations

But this doesn’t happen by chance. It requires a strategic approach.

Step 1: Define your core message

Before you write a single blog or say yes to a local interview, ask yourself: What do I want to be known for?

You might be a GP passionate about early intervention in mental health. You may focus on elderly care, health inequalities, lifestyle medicine, or access to care for underserved groups. The more specific your niche, the more effective your message will be.

Thought leadership isn’t about being a generalist, it’s about being the go-to authority on something that matters.

Once you’ve identified your area of focus, write a personal statement that captures it. Mine is: “I help healthcare organisations and professionals build reputation through communications that are credible, human, and strategic.”

Yours might be:

“I’m a local GP committed to empowering patients with practical, evidence-based advice on managing long-term conditions.”

Keep this statement front and centre. It becomes your lens for deciding what content to create, where to show up, and what conversations to lead.

Step 2: Build your personal brand — authentically

In healthcare, the term ‘personal brand’ can raise eyebrows — it sounds corporate, maybe even self-serving. But in reality, it’s simply about consistency.

Your patients, colleagues, and local community already form impressions of who you are. A personal brand is your chance to shape that perception intentionally — across your writing, public speaking, social media, and local partnerships.

Consider the following:

• Tone: Do you communicate in a warm, approachable voice? Or more formal and data-led?

• Visual identity: Is your LinkedIn profile photo professional? Do your slides or handouts reflect who you are?

• Presence: Do you show up online in the same way people experience you in person?

You don’t need to reinvent yourself. In fact, the best personal brands are just amplified versions of your true self.

Step 3: Connect thought leadership to the 10-Year Plan

Let’s bring this closer to home. The DHSC’s 10-Year Plan focuses on three key shifts:

1. Moving care closer to home

2. Integrating physical and mental health

3. Personalising care through better data and prevention

Neighbourhood Health Services sit at the centre of this approach — and GPs are expected to lead it.

This is the perfect platform for your thought leadership. You can:

• Publish reflections on what the Plan means for your practice or patient community

• Share success stories from your PCN or federation

• Highlight how general practice is rising to the challenge

• Write about workforce pressures, funding, or local innovations

• Push for more collaboration with voluntary and community services

As a local GP, you are the face of this transformation. Use that position to frame the narrative, influence decision-making, and inspire public support.

Step 4: Choose the right channels

Not every GP wants to go viral on X (formerly Twitter). And you don’t need to. The best thought leadership happens on the right platform, with the right audience.

Here are a few starting points:

• LinkedIn: Ideal for connecting with other health professionals, ICB leaders, local NHS trusts, and commissioners. Share articles, post reflections from practice, or comment on health news.

• Local Media: Offer to write monthly health columns for your local newspaper, magazine, or community radio. Topics might include flu season advice, tackling vaccine hesitancy, or managing winter pressures.

• Practice Website/Newsletter: Use this as your home base. A regular GP blog builds SEO (search visibility) and serves your patients directly.

• Events & Panels: Speak at local health forums, school wellbeing events, or faith group sessions on public health.

• Neighbourhood Board or ICS Comms: Pitch your ideas and content as part of official NHS communications around local transformation.

You don’t need to do everything. But you must do something — and do it regularly.

Step 5: Create valuable, shareable content

Content is your currency. But forget jargon-filled medical blogs or preachy advice. The most effective content is simple, human, and offers real value.

Here are some easy formats:

• “GP’s Guide To…” — Tackle common topics with clear, actionable advice (e.g., “A GP’s Guide to Managing Back Pain Without Pills”)

• “What We’re Seeing…” — Share insights from your practice (e.g., “We’ve seen a 30% rise in anxiety in teens this month. Here’s how parents can help.”)

• Neighbourhood care reflections — Talk about working with local pharmacists, physios, or care workers in a joined-up way

• Myth-busting — Challenge misinformation (e.g., “No, antibiotics won’t cure your cold — here’s what actually works.”)

• Short video explainers — 60-second videos answering FAQs about new local services, changes to care access, or health behaviours

Don’t worry about perfection. Your authenticity and accessibility matter more than production values.

Step 6: Engage with your audience

Thought leadership is not a broadcast. It’s a conversation.

When people comment on your posts, reply. When they ask questions, answer. When local schools or charities reach out, show up.

Better still, engage before you need the attention. Comment on other GPs’ posts. Share useful resources from NHS England or your ICB. Highlight what’s working in your community.

When you engage consistently, people begin to see you as part of the story — not just a storyteller.

Step 7: Amplify your voice with PR

Once you’ve built a strong base, it’s time to think bigger. That’s where I come in.

As a healthcare PR consultant, I help GPs and primary care leaders raise their profile and get their ideas into the right rooms. We can pitch your story to local media, health podcasts, or sector publications like Pulse, HSJ, or The BMJ.

You might:

• Feature in local media as a trusted source during winter pressures

• Speak on regional TV about the impact of the Neighbourhood Health Service

• Be invited to panel discussions with local authorities or think tanks

• Contribute to NHS campaign content around prevention or screening

• Launch your own community health blog or digital newsletter

All of this builds visibility, credibility, and trust — the three pillars of modern influence.

Final thoughts: You’re already a leader — now lead out loud

I’ve worked with many GPs who are quietly doing extraordinary things, supporting vulnerable families, mentoring young doctors, designing smarter systems, or simply delivering gold-standard care under immense pressure.

But in today’s environment, doing the work is no longer enough. You must also be seen to do the work.

The NHS 10-Year Plan gives you the perfect reason to raise your voice. The creation of Neighbourhood Health Services positions you not just as a practitioner, but as a community health leader.

You already have the insights, the credentials, and the community trust. Thought leadership simply gives you the microphone to influence, inspire, and futureproof the role of general practice.

And as a country, we need GPs to step up. Not just in surgeries, but in public life.

So the question is no longer should you build a public voice. It’s how soon can you start?

About the author

Michael O’Connor is a partner at Grey Sergeant, specialising in PR, communications, and engagement across the healthcare and non-profit sectors. Through his consultancy Grey Sergeant, he helps primary care networks, GP surgeries, and healthcare organisations define their brand, strengthen their reputation, and communicate with clarity. For more information, contact michael.oconnor@greysergeant.com