Michael Balint Memorial Lecture 2013: Dr Andrew Elder

“Balint at the Cutting Edge: Contributing in a Changing World”

The 20th Michael Balint Memorial Lecture was given at the Medical Society of London, on Thursday 25th April 2013 by Dr Andrew Elder, a retired GP, current Balint Group Leader and past President of the Balint Society. In this lecture he considers the potential role of Balint Groups in GP practices, as they evolve in an increasingly complex National Health Service. He helps us to think about how practices can preserve themselves as a secure base for patients and those who work there and reminds us of Michael Balint's focus on the value of primary care in the presentation of unorganised illness, as well as the aim of Balint training to encourage practitioners to listen and learn how to 'be' with patients.