Peter Bailey

My strengths as a coach and supervisor lie in my lifelong interest in storytelling and problem solving. I first trained as a coach in 2014, having recognised that coaching skills would complement my work as a general practitioner in the NHS. I have developed a coaching and supervision style based on narrative, Gestalt (the bigger picture) and solution focus. I build trust through listening, respect, encouragement and empathy. It is from this base that my clients feel safe enough to explore their potential and recognise their capacity for action.

I bring the experience of my years of consultation as a GP and my life experience as a son, husband, father and friend to my sessions and I use the theory and practice of coaching and supervision to guide my work.

Experience and Development

I am a qualified coach and I expect to achieve the ILM 7 in Coaching Supervision during 2025. I have been teaching and supervising in medicine since 1984. I was a GP trainer between 1986 and 1999. I supervised nurse practitioners and a pharmacist in my general practice between 2000 and 2012. I chaired the Local Medical Committee in Cambridge and I was Vice-Chair of the Cambridge Clinical Commissioning Group. I was a Medical Adviser for the Performance Advisory Group at NHS England overseeing the management of complaints against general practitioners. I was a principal and partner in general practice in Cambridge from 1984 to 1999 and in Cambourne from 2000 to 2012. I was a freelance general practitioner from 2012 to 2024. I was a clinician for NHS Practitioner Health (offering mental health treatment to doctors and other NHS staff) between 2019 and 2024.

My book about the importance of collaboration with patients in general practice was published in 2013. (Bailey, 2013)

I am also a highly experienced vasectomy surgeon!

I am a director of the Akeso Coaching Network, for which I also provide coaching and supervision services.

I am a member of the executive coaching team for Panasonic.

Specialisms in Supervision

My extensive experience in the NHS in primary care has given me a deep understanding of the particular issues that arise for medical practitioners in the course of their careers. It has also given me first-hand experience of the interaction between the diagnostic and problem-solving urge of the doctor and the importance of unlocking the client’s potential through solution focused coaching.

Interest Outside of Coaching

I live in Cambridge with my wife – also a retired GP. My four adult children and five grandchildren live nearby and fill my cup. I am a keen sailor. I am restlessly curious about the human condition, read voraciously and enjoy learning languages, currently Greek and Italian.

Qualifications

  • BSc Pharmacology (First Class Honours), 1975
  • MB BS, 1978
  • MRCGP, 1983
  • ILM7 Diploma for Executive and Senior Level Coaches and Mentors, March 2023

Publications

  1. Bateman H, Emery J, Bastable R, Bailey P. Piloting a systematic, evidence-informed approach to service development in primary care. Clinical Governance 2003 8 (No 3) 227-235
  2. Wilson W, Bateman H, Bailey P. Early experience of the contribution of an information specialist within a primary healthcare team: A partnership venture between library and healthcare services. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. 2004; 36 (No 3): 127-134
  3. McLellan H, Bateman H, Bailey P. The place of 360 degree appraisal within a team approach to professional development. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 2005; 19(2): 137-148
  4. Bailey P. The New Doctor, Patient, Illness Model: Restoring the Authority of the GP Consultation. London:CRC Press; 2013.

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