Jean in line for top public service award

Jean McVann, managing director of the Gateway Primary Care CIC, is among five people shortlisted for the Society Guardian Public Servant of the Year Award, aimed at honouring those in teams who make the difference between a good service and an outstanding one.

Jean helped set up a new general practice for Rotherham’s socially excluded and vulnerable groups more than a decade ago.

She said: “From my experience, people who were shunned and turned away were people such as those who had a history of drugs and alcohol dependency or homelessness and gipsies and travellers and hence these were the areas I focused on.”

Over the past ten years, working with Rotherham charity, Shiloh, the surgery has  run outreach health sessions for the homeless.

The Gate, along with Rosehill Medical Centre in Rawmarsh and Canklow Road Surgery, is now a Social Enterprise

Jean said: “The reason behind the establishment of a Social Enterprise was to ensure the continuity of the services —\!q services flexible and responsive to local needs, we have a dedicated team of staff who continually work for the best health and social outcomes for the practice populations.”

Surplus monies from the Social Enterprise are reinvested back into patient care and the community, services such as a gardening project, exercise classes and, this winter, the provision of food for those on the streets.

Voting  for the award closes on October 26 and more information can be found on the  publicservantoftheyear.guardianprofessional.co.uk/JudgesNomination