Dr Carolyn Barshall
MBBS MRCGP DRGOG DA LFHom
Dr Carolyn Barshall has practised as a GP in central London for more than thirty years and has spent much of her career in private general practice. She retains her registration and does some sessions with the NHS.
Born in Australia, she studied medicine at the University of Adelaide and began her General Practice training there. She moved to London in 1989, originally intending to spend a year studying anaesthetics before returning to Australia to work as a rural GP. London instead became home. Dr Barshall subsequently completed several postgraduate qualifications in the UK, including Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners, a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the College of Anaesthetists Part 1 examination and a Diploma in Homeopathy.
Her career has included both NHS and private medicine. At Chelsea General Practice she now provides general and family medicine for adults, adolescents and children, often looking after several members and generations of the same family.
Clinical interests
Dr Barshall enjoys the breadth of family medicine and has developed particular interests in women’s health, menopause, adolescent wellbeing, mental health and health screening for men and women. As both a family doctor and mother of two daughters, she has a particular understanding of health across adolescence and different stages of women’s lives.
Family medicine and continuity
Dr Barshall’s approach to general practice is founded on continuity. Many of her patients have been with her for years; she frequently cares for parents and children within the same family and, in some cases, several generations. This familiarity can be particularly valuable when symptoms develop gradually, different aspects of physical and psychological health overlap or several specialists are involved.
Rather than treating individual appointments in isolation, Dr Barshall can maintain an understanding of the patient’s medical history and oversee their care over time.
Professional life
Dr Barshall regularly attends postgraduate medical meetings to keep her clinical knowledge current. She also belongs to or has belonged to several professional groups concerned with different aspects of medical practice. These include a Balint Group of private GPs who consider the psychological and relational aspects of general practice and the doctor-patient relationship; the Young Doctors Group that met monthly to discuss clinical developments and practical aspects of private general practice. Dr Barshall also participates in a multidisciplinary Supervision Group with GPs, psychotherapists, psychiatrists and psychologists, allowing complex aspects of physical and psychological care to be considered across disciplines. She is additionally a member of The Sloane Society and The Chelsea Clinical Society.
Specialist and international network
Over the course of her career, Dr Barshall has established longstanding professional relationships with consultants working across the leading independent hospitals in London and elsewhere in England.
Wider interests
Alongside her medical practice, Dr Barshall is an ambassador for The Lady Garden Foundation, which supports awareness and research in gynaecological health. She has also supported Impact 100 London and the Royal Court Theatre.