The Cameron Fund is the GPs’ own charity. It is the only medical benevolent fund that solely supports general practitioners and their dependents. They provide support to GPs and their families in times of financial need, whether through ill-health, disability, death or loss of employment.
Set up in 1970, the Fund is named in memory of Sir James Cameron – a distinguished GP who led the profession at the time of the pivotal Charter for Family Doctor Services in 1966. Since then, the Fund has distributed over £5million in grants and interest-free loans. In 2020 the Fund provided much needed assistance to 207 GPs or their dependent family, which included 49 beneficiaries who were directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of you might feel that the Cameron Fund is not needed in the current world of pension schemes, insurances and state benefits. In reality our experience is that in cases such as unexpected serious illness, suspension or bereavement of a GP colleague, there is often inadequate or no provision available for financial relief and real hardship can occur. Originally the majority of applicants were elderly GPs or widows – today over 50% of applications are from working age GPs.
Accident, short or long-term illness, depression and other mental ill-health, bereavement, relationship breakdown, divorce, as well as professional problems. These life-changing events can happen to any one of us, at any time and result in loss of income.
The Cameron Fund is the only medical charity which solely supports General Practitioners and their dependent family members. Any contact made is treated in the strictest confidence.
If you know of colleagues who could benefit from the Fund’s assistance, please let us know (with consent of course) or direct them to the Fund’s website www.cameronfund.org.uk for all the contact details, and where an application form can be downloaded.”
Please find an update about the Fund’s latest activities in our newsletter for Spring 2023 and Annual Review for 2023.