The Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM) is proud to announce Louise Beevers as the first recipient of the IGPM Founders’ Fellowship Fund, a bursary established to help Managers in Practice achieve professional accreditation.
The Founders’ Fellowship Fund has been created to support managers who have faced adversity, hardship or significant barriers in their lives, ensuring that personal circumstances do not prevent them from achieving professional recognition and furthering their careers.
Louise, an Assistant Practice Manager in Lincolnshire, is currently living with terminal cancer while raising her four children. Her story highlights extraordinary resilience and a determination to make the most of life, while continuing to navigate the challenges of a life-changing diagnosis.
The IGPM recognises that the path to professional development is not always straightforward. For some managers, financial pressures, personal circumstances and significant life challenges can make the cost of accreditation an additional obstacle at a time when they are already managing considerable demands.
The Founders’ Fellowship Fund has been established to help remove that barrier, providing financial support towards IGPM accreditation and enabling managers to gain recognition for their skills, knowledge and experience.
By awarding the first fellowship to Louise, the IGPM hopes to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the people behind the profession, recognising not only their professional contribution but also the determination it can take to pursue personal and career goals in the face of adversity.
Kay Keane, Director, said
“The IGPM was founded on the belief that everyone working in Practice Management deserves recognition for their skills, knowledge and contribution to general practice, regardless of their personal circumstances.
Louise is an extraordinary example of courage, resilience and determination. When she first looked at accreditation, she needed to concentrate on her treatment, and understandably, her professional development had to take a back seat. More recently, Louise told me that she now feels ready to show the world just how strong she is, whatever the future may hold. I found that incredibly moving, and I couldn’t be prouder that she is the first recipient of our Founders’ Fellowship Fund.
This fund is about more than financial support. It is about recognising the people behind the profession and making sure that life’s challenges do not become barriers to professional achievement.
Louise has already achieved so much, both personally and professionally, and this is an opportunity to recognise that. We want her to know that her profession is standing alongside her, celebrating her strength, her achievements and everything she brings to general practice.”
Louise said:
“When I received my incurable cancer diagnosis, professional development was understandably one of the last things on my mind. My focus turned to treatment, my family and navigating an uncertain future. As time has gone on, however, I have realised how important it is to keep setting goals, continuous learning and celebrating all achievements.
Being awarded the IGPM Founders’ Fellowship Fund means so much because it represents possibility. It shows that illness, adversity and life’s challenges do not prevent us from continuing to learn, grow and be recognised for our contributions and love of our roles within Primary Care.
As a mum of four and an Assistant Practice Manager, I want to make the most of every opportunity and be the inspirational role model to my children and hopefully colleagues too. I am incredibly grateful to the IGPM for their support and honoured to be the first recipient of this fellowship. I hope it encourages others facing their own challenges to keep believing in themselves and in what they absolutely can achieve.”
The Founders’ Fellowship Fund reflects the founding values of the IGPM: inclusion, recognition, professional development and a commitment to ensuring that Practice Managers are supported throughout their careers.
As the first recipient, Louise marks an important milestone for the fund and its ambition to help more managers achieve IGPM accreditation, regardless of the challenges they may face along the way.
The IGPM hopes the fund will continue to make a meaningful difference to managers across the UK, helping to build a profession in which talent, dedication and experience are recognised and supported.
To read Louise’s story, visit the BBC News report: ‘I have terminal cancer, but I’ve never felt so mentally well’.
Louise is arranging a ball in 2027, contact louise.beevers@nhs.net at the The 4Cancer Group Charity Ball 2027 for information.
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If you’d like to offer a financial contribution to the bursary, please contact IGPM on info@igpm.org.uk
