Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Doctor named GP of the Year after going above and beyond the call of duty for dying patient

Dr Kate MacGregor (Chris Austin / DC Thomson)
Dr Kate MacGregor (Chris Austin / DC Thomson)

IT’s the sort of personal care from a family doctor that belongs to another era.

Faced with a patient dying from a rare condition, GP Kate MacGregor went out of her way to help – calling in on her days off, providing her personal phone number and even getting in touch while on holiday abroad.

Now that dedication towards patient Mary MacLennan has seen Dr MacGregor named as Scotland’s GP of the Year.

Mrs MacLennan’s family said they will never forget everything Dr MacGregor did for them, as she helped look after Mary who had rare disease Multiple System Atrophy.

The family, from Connel in Argyll and Bute, said the disease was so uncommon that few doctors knew what to do.

Undeterred, Dr MacGregor took it upon herself to read up on the disease to best understand how to help her patient.

And, as Mary’s health deteriorated, the caring medic stepped in to ensure the grandmother could be cared for at home for as long as possible.

This saved her and her family arduous, seven-hour round-trips to hospital.

Mary's son David MacLennan, partner Billy and daughter Eilidh (Chris Austin / DC Thomson)
Mary’s son David MacLennan, partner Billy and daughter Eilidh (Chris Austin / DC Thomson)

Mary sadly died aged 54 in July last year.

But hers son David, 29, said: “Dr MacGregor was there whenever we called.

“She’s also been there to support the family after mum died.

“She’s always there to talk to and lifts our spirits. She has a heart of gold.”

Despite being in the midst of their grief, Mary’s family contacted the Royal College of General Practitioners to nominate Dr MacGregor for GP of the Year.

In an emotional letter, Mary’s partner Billy Ferguson, 64, said she should be held up as an example of the difference “a GP can make to patients and their families at what can be the bleakest point of their lives”.

And the judges agreed as they named Dr MacGregor, who works in the remote rural Taynuilt Medical Practice in Argyll and Bute, as this year’s GP of the Year.

MSA is a neurological disorder caused by degeneration of nerve cells in several areas of the brain.

This can result in problems with movement, balance and autonomic functions of the body such as blood pressure.

It affects just five people per 100,000, meaning doctors rarely come across it.

Mary was diagnosed in 2014.

By the time she died, she was unable to speak, walk, swallow or care for herself and suffered significant levels of pain.

The family, including Mary’s daughter Eilidh, 27, said the rarity of MSA meant no one really knew how to help and support them.

The neurological care Mary required was provided by specialists at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.

But as her condition deteriorated she was not able to make the journey.

Dr MacGregor stepped in and researched the condition as much as she could, including contacting charity the Multiple System Atrophy Trust for assistance.

She then pulled together a health care team to care for Mary in her home, meaning she spent most of the end of her life at home before passing away peacefully at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

The Multiple System Atrophy Trust is the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by the disease.

Its CEO Karen Walker said: “I’m delighted that Dr MacGregor received this award.

“I understand the family were really touched by how hard she worked to understand the condition.

“It’s lovely to see that being acknowledged.”

Dr Miles Mack, Chair of RCGP Scotland, said Dr MacGregor “showed real gumption, took matters into her own hands and allowed her patient to receive continuous, trusted care beyond what seemed to be possible”.

He said: “Dr Kate MacGregor makes me proud to be a GP.”