This is a hugely exciting year for the evolution of Medicalternative. With lots of exciting growth and development underway, we have made the decision to make some changes – but with the SAME range of exceptional services provided by the SAME fantastic staff under the SAME guidance and development of Dr Lyndsey Myskow and Business Manager, Jacqui Mitchell. The retirement of Dr Alan Macpherson had created space for a NEW entrepreneurial business partner Stephen Leach. And the first task? our NEW branding and name…we will be renamed (drumroll!) “YourGP”

So how did we come to this choice? We arranged some market research and discovered that our name, apart from being a challenge to pronounce, was misleading some, making them think of us being an alternative to traditional medicine

And so the decision was reached to change our name and what better way to choose a name than to ask the very people who are searching desperately for our excellent Pt care and extremely high standards of service provision as well as those who have already found us.

So we did! We put it to you; the nation – choose our name and we will thank you with a dream prize of a 5*, First Class London Theatre Break!! You responded en masse and our very deserved winner, with the suggestion YourGP, was Alistair Fenton.

We LOVE the name YourGP. It’s fresh, clear, pronounceable, friendly and memorable. It makes it crystal clear what we do. It also embodies the type of relationship we want to have with OUR clients. Friendly, personal, private, discreet, available and approachable.

So the prize –We sent Alistair and his partner, Olwen, by first class rail travel to London with two nights at the 5 star Hilton Waldorf hotel with tickets for the Queen and Ben Elton musical, We Will Rock You.

But before he left, we asked him a few questions about why he came to choose YourGP, as well as a wee bit of background on himself.

Firstly, Alistair, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Alistair Fenton, 53, and I’m a born and bred Glaswegian now living in Edinburgh, studied French at Glasgow University then spent ten years in the whisky industry.

Following completion of an MBA at Edinburgh University after that, I’ve been in a number of consultative business development/account management roles helping companies improve their performance by providing advice and guidance on skills and skills development solutions.

I’m also a very keen sportsman, I managed Edinburgh Accies rugby team for about 15 years following my playing career, but I’m interested in all sports.

Before the competition, were you ever aware of Medicalternative?

I’m afraid I wasn’t, no!

What were your initial thoughts on the name Medicalternative?

Well, being blessed with excellent health to date (not sure my surgery knows I exist), I have a pretty ambivalent view on most things medical, but I can say that the name certainly did not instantly grab my attention.

What did you think was the main problem with the name Medicalternative?

Call me old fashioned, but I’m fairly sceptical about ‘alternative’ medicine and until Jacqui explained a little bit more about your mainstream ‘GP’ services that was the image it portrayed to me. Having won the prize and explained to many people how I did it and the contrast between the two names, virtually everyone agrees.

Why did you choose the name YourGP?

From my understanding of the background, I wanted to emphasise both the ‘GP’ aspect of your services first and foremost, and the personal inclusiveness of the individual user.

What do you think makes YourGP a more suitable name than Medicalternative?

As I said before, I think ‘GP’ dispels the confusion about ‘alternative’ medicine (and I don’t think I’m alone in being slightly sceptical on that count), and ‘Your’, I’m sure, draws the user towards the provider by making it feel personally inclusive.

Thank you very much, Alistair, for taking the time to answer our questions, YourGP 😉 sincerely appreciates your input and hope you had a great time in London.

From the photos it looks like you did, you certainly packed a lot of sightseeing into those few days!

For all the news and updates on our reinvention from Medicalternative to YourGP, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.